Washington : Shaikh Salman bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, Minister of Finance and National Economy, delivered a statement before the Development Committee on behalf of the Arab Group countries and the Maldives, represented by the Kingdom of Bahrain, during his participation in the 2026 Spring Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group, held in Washington.
The Minister said that for 40 days and 40 nights, peaceful and development-focused countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan had been subjected to a barrage of unjustified and indiscriminate attacks involving ballistic missiles and drones launched by the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Shaikh Salman bin Khalifa added that the sustained assaults over that period, wave after wave, had exceeded 5,000 missiles and drones, including more than 1,000 during the first 24 hours alone, deliberately targeting civilians, residential areas, educational institutions, commercial buildings, airports, ports, power stations, oil and gas facilities, and other vital infrastructure.
The Minister noted that the attacks had resulted in casualties, injuries and extensive material damage across all participating countries, adding that they stood strong today, proud of their armed forces, security services, civil defence personnel, and the citizens and residents who had demonstrated unwavering resilience and steadfastness in the face of the aggression.
Shaikh Salman bin Khalifa expressed profound gratitude to regional partners who had united in confronting the attacks, to the United States and international allies who had stood side by side in defence of their countries, and to the international community, which had sent a clear and decisive message through the historic adoption of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2817.
The Minister stressed that Iran’s attempts to disrupt navigation in the Strait of Hormuz constituted an act of economic terrorism, given the severe repercussions for global supply chains. More than 20% of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas supplies pass through the Strait, along with over 27% of global aluminium exports and more than 30% of fertiliser exports, amid what he described as the greatest disruption to global supply chains since the Second World War, requiring a concerted international response.
Shaikh Salman bin Khalifa also highlighted the importance of reaching a permanent ceasefire in Lebanon and ensuring strong support to improve the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.
The Minister emphasised that the world was facing a struggle between those seeking to build a peaceful and prosperous future for the region and the wider world, and those attempting to drag it back into the Middle Ages, calling on the World Bank and the international community to provide their support.
