US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Gulf Arab foreign ministers and officials in Bahrain on June 26, affirming that Washington seeks a lasting peace with Iran without compromising the security and prosperity of its allies in the oil-rich region.
Rubio’s three-day tour of the Gulf is the first high-level diplomatic mission since the United States and Iran signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) extending the ceasefire and paving the way for negotiations to permanently end the conflict that began on February 28 with US-Israeli airstrikes on Iran and lasted over 100 days.
Rubio acknowledged the sensitivity of the mission, as he needed to convince Gulf Arab leaders who fear that excessive concessions could strengthen Tehran, disrupt the security balance, and affect oil flows in the region.
In Manama, the capital of Bahrain, he told leaders the US wants to ensure the deal with Iran considers “the interests of allies.” He stressed: “We are open to a sustainable and substantive peace that does not undermine the security and prosperity of the United States or its allies.”
Earlier, during stops in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Kuwait, Rubio sought to reassure officials that the proposed deal would not overly favor Iran — a country that has attacked some Gulf states in past wars. “We will not do anything that undermines the security of our longstanding allies in the region,” he told reporters in Kuwait.
The draft US-Iran agreement does not limit Iran’s ballistic missiles, includes a $300 billion reconstruction fund, and contains provisions that could expand Tehran’s regional influence and control over key oil shipping lanes. Rubio said he would not ask regional allies to contribute to the reconstruction fund during this trip, although the MoU with Iran suggests that regional countries should bear at least part of the financial responsibility.
