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GCC countries have issued a strong condemnation of Iran for its attack on Gulf countries since 28th February.  "Iranian attacks have also led to a sharp loss of confidence by the Council states in Iran, which requires Iran to take the initiative to make serious efforts to rebuild trust", they said. This was stated by the Secretary General of the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC), that bring together the six Gulf monarchies - Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates (UAE),  in a statement on Tuesday 28 April, at the end of a summit of the leaders of the member states held in Saudi Arabia. In his statement, Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi said that the leaders discussed the current regional situation, particularly in relation to the escalation in the region, and the blatant Iranian attacks against the Council countries and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, as well as ways to establish a diplomatic path that ends the crisis and paves the way for reaching agreements and understandings that address the sources of concern of the Council states and enhance security and stability in the long term. Click image to read the full statement.

Pakistan has bombed a university in Afghanistan, amid an outbreak of new violence between the two neighbours. Pakistan and Afghanistan have accused one another of launching cross-border attacks. Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities said on Monday that four people were killed in attacks in the eastern Kunar province. Pakistani officials reported at least three civilians were injured by gunfire in South Waziristan. The resumption of violence threatens fragile peace talks between the neighbours. The two countries agreed on a fragile ceasefire in March that halted weeks of violence. The Taliban’s Deputy ⁠Spokesperson Hamdullah Fitrat ⁠said that the Pakistani military had launched mortar ⁠and rocket attacks that wounded 45 people. He said that students, women, and children were among those injured as homes and the Sayed Jamaluddin Afghani ⁠University in Kunar province’s capital Asadabad came under fire.  A spokesman for Pakistan’s border forces described the incident in South Waziristan as the most serious clash since the ceasefire was declared. The strikes marked the first major attack since the pair had agreed to halt the violence at peace talks last month, mediated by China. (click image to read full report).