Since the Middle East war began on February 28 with a barrage of US and Israeli strikes on Iran, Tehran has retaliated, attacking infrastructure across the Gulf.

The six countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council, plus Jordan, have circulated a letter at the UN's International Telecommunications Union (ITU) agency, demanding action over the impact on telecoms infrastructure.

"Since February 28, 2026, the unlawful and unprovoked attacks by the Islamic Republic of Iran involving missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles have deliberately targeted civilians and civilian infrastructure in densely populated areas, including civilian information and communication technology," said the letter, dated April 15.

The letter was sent to all 48 member countries of the ITU Council, the United Arab Emirates' mission in Geneva told AFP.

It calls for the ITU decision-taking body to consider a draft resolution condemning "Iranian attacks against telecommunication services in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan" during its next annual session, which opens at the end of April.

The draft resolution stresses that those attacks, along with Iran's "threats to target additional telecommunications infrastructure", were "incompatible with the obligations of member states under the ITU constitution and convention".

It also highlights "the direct damage to submarine cable landing infrastructure and the suspension of submarine cable projects resulting from such targeting and threats".

And it instructs ITU chief Doreen Bogdan-Martin to ensure that agency department heads "monitor" and draft regular reports on "Iranian attacks against telecommunication services and infrastructure" across the region, "including on their global implications".

An ITU spokesperson confirmed to AFP that the draft resolution had been submitted and would be added to the agenda for discussion during the upcoming council meeting, which will run from April 28 to May 8.

Countries will then probably engage in drawn-out debate to hammer out an acceptable text, since resolutions brought before the council are typically adopted by consensus.