US restrains Iran, wins over Gulf allies

(Baonghean.vn) - US President Barack Obama defended the Iran nuclear deal, but at the same time expressed "deep concern" about Iran's behavior in the region.

The United States has pledged to deter and even confront any provocations against Gulf Arab states, which continue to express concern about the growing threat from Iran.

This was President Obama's statement after meeting with leaders of Gulf countries, aiming to ease concerns and strengthen the alliance between Washington and these countries.

President Obama speaks after a summit with GCC countries held at Camp David, Maryland, US on May 14, 2015. Photo: Reuters

Speaking after attending the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit on April 21 in the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh, President Obama said: "I would like to reaffirm the US policy of using every element of our authority to ensure Washington's core interests in the Gulf region, and to restrain any provocative actions from outside that threaten our allies and partners."

Mr. Obama added that although the Iran nuclear deal had a collective consensus, that did not mean Washington was not concerned about Tehran's recent behavior.

Relations between Washington and the Gulf countries have cooled recently. Photo: AP

The White House chief also acknowledged the fact that although Washington and the GCC countries have a long-standing alliance, there will be times when disagreements are inevitable. Most Gulf countries have expressed disappointment with the US leader's policy, as Mr. Obama is not very interested in relations with them, while being open to Iran.

The GCC is also frustrated that Mr. Obama has labeled them as “freeloaders” of US security efforts, and demanded that they “share” regional interests with Tehran. This is an unacceptable stance for the GCC.

President Obama visits Saudi Arabia hoping to ease Gulf countries' concerns about Iran's influence in the region. Photo: Reuters

Therefore, President Obama's two-day trip to the Gulf countries was aimed at appeasing regional allies and at the same time proposing deeper cooperation in the fight against notorious terrorist groups such as the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS)./.

Lan Ha

(According to Aljazeera)