Bahrain presses United Nations Security Council after missile and drone strikes on civilians

Bahrain told the United Nations Security Council that Iran has launched ballistic missiles and armed drones that struck civilian areas, killed three people and injured hundreds, and urged the Council to enforce existing resolutions.

The Bahraini representative opened an emergency session saying “these attacks must stop,” and accused Iran of breaching an Islamabad memorandum of understanding of June 17 that, the speaker said, required a permanent cessation of military operations. The statement said the attacks have been ongoing since Feb. 28 and have hit residential neighborhoods and civilian infrastructure.

Bahrain cited several incidents, including a strike on the Baraka nuclear power plant in the United Arab Emirates and an attack on the Gulf Petrol Chemical Industries Company that, the representative said, hit an ammonia storage tank and forced a two-kilometer evacuation. The statement also said strikes had occurred near Kuwait International Airport and framed those targets as civilian rather than military.

“The credibility of this council rests on not on adopting resolutions but on seeing them upheld,” the Bahraini representative said, referring to Resolution 2817, which the speaker said had condemned earlier attacks. Bahrain reiterated that it remains committed to peace and dialogue but “will continue to exercise restraint while fully preserving our inherent right of self-defense under Article 51 of the charter.”

A delegate interrupted to ask what Bahrain expected to accomplish at the Council given the veto power of the five permanent members, naming Russia and China as examples of allies that might block action. The Foreign Minister replied, “I have confidence in the Security Council. We’ve been coordinating with them and our main objective is really to stop these attacks.”

When asked whether Bahrain planned a Gulf Cooperation Council meeting with Iran, the Foreign Minister said he was not aware of the meeting referenced by the delegate but reiterated that Bahrain’s objective is “to achieve peace and maintain peace in the region for all the peoples of the region.”

The provided transcript excerpt records no formal Council vote or decision. The emergency session focused on Bahrain’s appeal to Council members to implement resolutions and on the broader questions of civilian protection and the Council’s ability to enforce its mandates.