Kuwait calls for unified Arab stance following US attack on Iran

Kuwaiti National Assembly speaker, Marzouq Al-Ghanim, announced on Friday that recent developments require a unified stance regarding the political leadership, while the United Arab Emirates (UAE) called for prioritising practicality and wisdom, following the assassination of Qassem Soleimani.

Al-Ghanim posted on his Twitter account: “The rapid developments, which have taken place lately, are very alarming, and requires a strong and real social cohesion, away from emotional reactions, tension and irresponsible actions, at the expense of Kuwait’s national interest.”

He added: “As Kuwaitis, we have been through the most difficult situations, and we have always managed to survive hardships thanks to our sense of solidarity, tolerance of our differences, and acting with long-term vision regarding the future of our country and our children.”

ما يحدث من تطورات متسارعة امر ينذز بخطورة بالغة وهو ما يتطلب تماسكا اجتماعيا قويا وحقيقيا، والتفافا حول القيادة السياسية، ونضجا وتعقلا في التعاطي مع تلك التطورات، بعيدا عن الانفعال والصخب والتصرف اللامسؤول على حساب مصلحة الكويت
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— مرزوق الغانم (@MarzouqAlghanim) January 3, 2020

The UAE minister of state for foreign affairs, Anwar Gargash, called for prioritising political solutions over confrontation and escalation.

Gargash posted on Twitter: “In light of the rapid regional developments, all parties should prioritise wisdom and poise, and focus on finding political solutions instead of engaging in confrontations and escalate the situation.”

He continued in the same tweet: “The issues facing the region are complex and cumulative, due to a trust crisis between the concerned parties. Handling the matters rationally requires a calm and emotion-free approach.”

في ظل التطورات الإقليمية المتسارعة لا بد من تغليب الحكمة والاتزان وتغليب الحلول السياسية على المواجهة والتصعيد، القضايا التي تواجهها المنطقة معقدة ومتراكمة وتعاني من فقدان الثقة بين الأطراف، والتعامل العقلاني يتطلب مقاربة هادئة وخالية من الإنفعال.

— د. أنور قرقاش (@AnwarGargash) January 3, 2020

The official Iraqi television quoted a source from the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) media, at dawn on Friday, stating that Major General Soleimani, commander of the Quds Force, and Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis, deputy head of the PMF, were killed in an air raid, which targeted their vehicle on the Baghdad Airport Road.

Opinion: Will Iran be able to match its revenge rhetoric with action following the assassination of Qassem Soleimani?

These developments came after dozens of protesters stormed the US embassy headquarters in Baghdad last Tuesday, and set fire to two gates and observation towers, before the Iraqi riot police managed to push the demonstrators away from the embassy vicinity.

The incursion was a response to air strikes carried out by the US forces, on Sunday, targeting locations of the Iraqi Hezbollah Brigade, one of the PMF factions in Al-Anbar Governorate, which resulted in the deaths of 28 people and injuring 48 fighters affiliated with the attacked battalion.

The US launched air strikes in response to missile attacks carried out by the factions against Iraqi military bases hosting US soldiers and diplomats, during which one US civilian contractor was killed near the city of Kirkuk.

The US officials accused Iran of launching missile attacks against military bases hosting US troops and diplomats in Iraq, through its proxies of the Shia factions, which Tehran earlier denied.