DOHA, Qatar—Gulf Arab states on Monday cautiously backed the
Obama administration's nuclear agreement with Iran, giving the
White House a potentially important diplomatic win as it seeks to
build support for its signature foreign policy initiative.
The positive response from the Gulf Cooperation Council—which is
comprised of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait,
Oman and Bahrain—followed months of intense lobbying by the White
House that included offers of increased arms sales,
intelligence-sharing and military training.
Secretary of State John Kerry held a daylong summit on Monday
with the council's foreign ministers to explain the terms of the
nuclear agreement and the need for increased cooperation between
Washington and the GCC to guard against Iran expanding its
influence in the region.
"This was the best option amongst other options in order to try
to come up with a solution for the nuclear weapons of Iran though
dialogue, and this came up as a result of the efforts exerted by
the United States of America and its allies," Qatar Foreign
Minister Khalid al-Attiyah said at a joint news conference with Mr.
Kerry at the end of meetings in Qatar's capital. The Persian Gulf
monarchy currently serves as the chair of the GCC.
He said the GCC countries have welcomed the plan Mr. Kerry laid
out. "He let us know that there's going to be a kind of live
oversight for Iran not to gain or to get any nuclear weapons," he
said. "This is reassuring to the region."
President Barack Obama is locked in a fierce political battle in
Washington to drum up support on Capitol Hill for the nuclear deal,
which limits parts of Iran's nuclear program in exchange for the
lifting of international sanctions.
Republicans and pro-Israel politicians are fiercely opposed to
the agreement, arguing it will undermine the security of
Washington's key Middle East allies, including Israel, Saudi Arabia
and the United Arab Emirates.
They also charge that Tehran will use tens of billions of
dollars in new oil money and revenues to fund its militant proxies
in the region, including the Assad regime in Syria, Hezbollah in
Lebanon, and the Houthis in Yemen.
Congress is currently conducting a 60-day vetting period of the
deal and will vote in September on whether to endorse or reject
it.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has publicly attacked
the nuclear deal and pressed American lawmakers to vote against it.
Saudi, Emirati and Qatari officials have privately groused about
the deal and voiced concerns that Washington may weaken its
decades-old alliance with the Gulf states as it pursues a
rapprochement with Tehran, their regional rival.
The GCC's public backing of the Iran deal could undercut
criticism of the White House and leave Israel more isolated on the
diplomatic stage. Mr. Kerry was quick on Monday to present a common
front with the Gulf Arab states.
"Ministers agreed…that once fully implemented, the [nuclear
deal] contributes to the region's long-term security, including by
preventing Iran from developing or acquiring a military-nuclear
capability," Mr. Kerry said at his appearance with Mr. Attiyah.
"But frankly, most of the time that we spent this afternoon was
spent articulating and working on the full measure of the
relationship between the U.S. and the GCC going forward."
Mr. Kerry is on a regional trip through the Middle East and
Asia, which didn't include a stop in Israel. Israeli officials have
voiced a wariness of engaging with the Obama administration during
the congressional review period, due Mr. Netanyahu's strident
opposition to the deal.
Write to Jay Solomon at jay.solomon@wsj.com
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