US will stand by Gulf allies against Iran’s ‘destabilizing activities’
US President Barack Obama pledged to continue to work with US allies against Iran’s worrisome involvement in the region, AFP reported on Tuesday
According to the White House, the president spoke with the ruler of Oman, Sultan Qaboos, on Monday and stated that he would stand “with Oman and other regional partners to address Iran’s destabilizing activities in the region,” even as the details of the nascent nuclear deal between Washington and Tehran continue to emerge.
The phone call with the Omani Sultan, the leader of a small country who shares the Arabian peninsula with larger oil-rich power-houses like Saudi Arabia and Qatar, was meant to assuage fears that the White House has softened its approach to the Islamic Republic’s aggressive activities in the region, notably in Iraq and Yemen where Shi’ite militias are gradually becoming more influential.
The president’s sentiment was reflected by the White House’s Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes, who on Tuesday, in an interview with al-Arabiya outlined the importance of the Gulf Arab states to Washington’s regional interests. Rhodes reiterated the White House’s commitment to preventing the Islamic Republic’s potential infringement on the sovereignty or security of GCC members.