US, Israel attack Iran updates: Khamenei, top security officials killed

Gulf states have pledged to defend themselves against Iranian attacks, including by “responding to the aggression” if need be, after the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) convened via video-link to formulate a unified response.

The foreign ministers of the six GCC states – the UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar and Kuwait, all of which have experienced Iranian strikes – “reviewed the extensive damage resulting from the treacherous Iranian attacks” and discussed steps for restoring stability in the region.

Gulf countries “will take all necessary measures to defend their security and stability and to protect their territories, citizens, and residents, including the option of responding to the aggression”, a statement released after the meeting said.

It also called for the “immediate cessation of these attacks”, adding that the stability of the “Gulf region is not merely a regional concern but a fundamental pillar of global economic stability”.

The strikes by the US and Israel have elicited mixed global reactions, including angry protests, celebrations, and calls by world leaders for a return to negotiations and peace.

At least 22 people were killed in northern Pakistan and in the southern port city of Karachi after police responded to hundreds of protesters storming the US consulates in their area.

A few major shipping companies have begun rerouting their vessels around Africa, away from the Suez Canal and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. The strikes could rattle global markets, particularly if Iran makes the Strait of Hormuz unsafe for commercial traffic. A fifth of the worldwide traded oil passes through the Strait.

There are global repercussions from disrupted air travel in the region, with hundreds of thousands of travellers stranded or diverted to other airports after Israel, Qatar, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait and Bahrain closed their airspace.