The UN Security Council has formally called on Iran to halt its attacks on the Gulf states.
Tehran has launched missiles at neighbouring countries, including Oman, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, since the beginning of its war with Israel and the US last weekend.
Initially targeting US military bases in the region, strikes have since hit residential areas and civilian infrastructure, particularly oil storage and refinement facilities.
A resolution passed unopposed on Wednesday, with the backing of 13 of the council's 15 member states, "demands the immediate cessation of all attacks by the Islamic Republic of Iran against Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Jordan".
The council also "condemns any actions or threats by the Islamic Republic of Iran aimed at closing, obstructing, or otherwise interfering with international navigation through the Strait of Hormuz".
Speaking in support of the motion, Bahrain's UN ambassador, Jamal Fares Alrowaiei, said that "ensuring the security of this region is not merely a regional matter, it is a common international responsibility that is closely linked to the stability of the global economy and energy security".
Significantly, China and Russia, two Iranian allies with security council membership and veto power, abstained on the motion.
While both nations' ambassadors called the resolution "extremely unbalanced" for failing to mention US and Israeli strikes against Iran, they declined to use their veto power as permanent council members to block it.
Iranian Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani called the vote a "blatant misuse of the Security Council mandate in pursuit of the political agendas".
"Let me make it clear, this resolution is a manifest injustice against my country, the main victim of a clear act of aggression," he said.
The US, meanwhile, backed the text of the resolution and voted in its favour, despite the fact that it did not also call on Tehran to halt its counterstrikes against Israel or its use of controversial cluster munitions against the Jewish state, which has led to allegations of war crimes.
"Iran’s strategy of sowing chaos, of trying to hold their neighbours hostage, trying to shake the resolve of the region, has clearly backfired, as shown by this vote today," said US Ambassador Mike Waltz.
Elsewhere, the International Energy Agency (IEA) announced the largest ever release from its oil reserves – 400 million barrels, or about four days’ worth of average global supply – in a bid to ease the recent volatility in oil prices caused by Iranian strikes on vital energy infrastructure in the region.
The price of a barrel of crude topped $100 again this week, up from $73 before the start of the war, and, as of Thursday morning, it was still trading at more than $95 despite the announcement.
Fatih Birol, the IEA’s executive director, told a press conference: “Oil markets are global, so the response to major disruptions needs to be global too.
"Energy security is the founding mandate of the IEA, and I am pleased that IEA members are showing strong solidarity in taking decisive action together.”
To get more news, click here to sign up for our free daily newsletter.