Rubio reassures Gulf allies on security

KUWAIT CITY:

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday pledged that Washington would not take any steps that undermine the security of its Gulf allies as the United States moves forward with efforts to implement a landmark agreement with Iran.

Speaking to reporters in Kuwait City during a regional tour, Rubio sought to reassure Gulf states that have expressed concern over the proposed peace deal with Tehran, saying the United States would remain closely aligned with its long-standing partners in the region.

"We're going to be completely aligned with our partners in the Gulf," Rubio said before departing for Bahrain. "We're not going to do anything that undermines the security of our allies, our longstanding allies in the region."

Rubio is visiting three Gulf countries amid efforts to address concerns among regional allies who view the proposed agreement with Iran as overly accommodating towards a country they accuse of threatening regional stability and attacking Gulf states during the conflict.

Earlier on Wednesday, Rubio held talks with the president of the United Arab Emirates before meeting Kuwaiti leaders. He later travelled to Bahrain as part of the diplomatic outreach campaign.

The US-Iran deal reached last week marked the first agreement signed by an American president and an Iranian president since Iran's 1979 Revolution. The deal includes the establishment of a proposed $300 billion fund and provides for waiver of certain sanctions.

Since the signing of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), Washington and Tehran have begun technical negotiations aimed at determining how the accord will be implemented.

Rubio defended the diplomatic effort, saying the United States remained open to reaching a durable and meaningful agreement with Tehran. "If Iran wants to make a good and real deal, the United States is open to that. If they're not, then of course the President has options."

He added that technical negotiators from both sides were expected to resume discussions later this month and were likely to meet again in Switzerland as efforts continued to finalise the details of the agreement. REUTERS