Obama Promises To Protect Arab Allies, Says Iran Deal ‘Not A Threat’

U.S. President Barack Obama tried to neutralize the growing concern among Persian Gulf nations about the proposed nuclear agreement with Iran. He said Thursday that the United States would not hesitate to use its military power to protect its Middle Eastern allies.

There has been growing anxiety among Arab countries about the Iran deal. Many a Gulf leader believes that the proposed deal will empower Iran so much that the security of the neighboring countries will be at risk.

Fox News reports that Obama promised his Arab allies a “new era of cooperation” as he pledged expanded military training programs and fast-track transfers of weapons and missile defense systems. He added that present agreements would allow U.S. authorities to apply military force if required.

Obama emphasized that the Gulf Cooperation Council should not feel threatened by the proposed nuclear agreement with Iran. The council consists of major Gulf nations like Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

U.S. authorities and Gulf leaders released a joint statement to declare that the United States would keep on confronting external aggression against its Arab partners and allies. Obama admitted that Arab nations were concerned about the potential nuclear deal with Iran.

The U.S. president said that he did not ask the Gulf leaders for approval. "Given that I'm not going to sign off on any deal until I've seen the details of it, I wouldn't expect them to either," CNN quoted Obama.

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