Rubio heads to Gulf to reassure allies on Iran talks

Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Abu Dhabi on a three-day Gulf tour that will take him to Kuwait and Bahrain. He will discuss the memorandum of understanding with Iran, safe transit through the Strait of Hormuz, and regional peace and stability, and he is also scheduled to meet the Gulf Cooperation Council in Bahrain.

The trip lands in the middle of a trust deficit between Washington and its Arab partners. Gulf states were hit by Iranian attacks during the war that began four months ago, and they have been privately disappointed and surprised by the interim deal now under discussion. Rubio acknowledged that those concerns would "most certainly" come up in his meetings.

The draft agreement includes no limits on Iran’s ballistic missiles, a proposed $300 billion reconstruction fund, and possible provisions that could expand Tehran’s regional influence and strengthen its grip on critical oil shipping lanes. Rubio said in Abu Dhabi that the United States was there to hear the Gulf states’ views and take them into account, and that the issue has been going on for 47 years and will not be solved quickly.

All six Gulf Cooperation Council states are strategic U.S. allies, several host major American military bases, and all were buffeted by Iranian airstrikes during the war. The UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain all host U.S. installations that anchor Washington’s regional posture, even as Iranian officials have accused some Gulf states of quietly facilitating American military operations and continued to press for a smaller U.S. footprint.

Gulf Arab foreign ministers have already condemned renewed Iranian attacks on Bahrain and Kuwait and demanded an immediate halt. Rubio also said he would not ask regional allies on this trip to contribute to any reconstruction fund.