John Kerry's Visit to Saudi Arabia to Report on Iran's Nuclear Negotiations

John Kerry, the U.S. Secretary of State, traveled to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, March 4, to address the concerns of Gulf Arab states regarding the nuclear agreement with Iran. According to AFP, Mr. Kerry arrived in Riyadh early Thursday local time. The U.S. Secretary of State, who has just concluded the final round of nuclear negotiations with Iran, is expected to alleviate the concerns of Gulf states about the nuclear deal with Iran and discuss ways to restore stability to the unrest in Yemen and other Middle Eastern countries. In Riyadh, he is scheduled to meet with King Salman, the new king of Saudi Arabia. The U.S. Secretary of State will also hold separate meetings with his counterparts in the Gulf Cooperation Council, including Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Gulf states, like Israel, are worried about Iran's efforts to acquire nuclear weapons and its growing power in the region. U.S. officials say Kerry will assure Arab leaders that the agreement with Tehran will not allow Iran to develop a nuclear bomb and that this agreement does not imply U.S. approval of larger security issues. Iran is actively supporting forces fighting in Syria and Iraq and has connections with Shia rebels in Yemen who recently overthrew the government that was backed by the U.S. and Arab countries. A senior U.S. official, who wished to remain anonymous, stated that regardless of the outcome of the nuclear negotiations with Iran, the U.S. will continue to counter Iran's 'advancement' and 'empowerment' in the region and will work closely with Gulf Arab states on bilateral security agreements and enhancing their defensive capabilities. U.S. officials say Kerry will reiterate that the U.S. supports U.N. efforts to advance talks that lead to a peaceful power transition in Yemen. Yemen is currently experiencing a political crisis that could split the country into two. The aim of the talks, mediated by the U.N., is to find a way out of the political crisis between the Houthi Shia rebels and the country's president, Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi. Hadi proposed Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia and the headquarters of the Gulf Cooperation Council, as the host for resuming talks with the Shia rebels on Tuesday. The Houthis, who are backed by Iran and control Yemen's capital, Sana'a, have firmly rejected their participation in the Riyadh talks due to Saudi Arabia's opposition to their gaining power in Yemen. The political crisis in Yemen has worsened the security situation in the country, and the Yemen branch of al-Qaeda, which Washington considers the most dangerous branch of al-Qaeda, has intensified its attacks against the Shia rebels. Hadi's proposal for Riyadh to host a meeting with tribal leaders was made in Aden, a city where he has resided after fleeing house arrest in Sana'a last month. Hadi has called for the relocation of embassies to Aden. Several Gulf Cooperation Council member countries have already moved their embassies to Aden. The U.S., which closed its embassy in Sana'a last month and evacuated its diplomats from the country, has not yet decided to move its embassy to Aden, but the U.S. ambassador to Yemen met with Mansur Hadi in Aden on Monday. U.S. officials say that until the crisis in Yemen is resolved and the U.S. embassy is reopened, the ambassador and some of his staff will remain at the U.S. consulate in Jeddah. Besides the issue of Iran's nuclear program and the Yemen crisis, Kerry will also discuss the deteriorating situation in Syria and the war against Islamic State militants in that country and Iraq. U.S. officials say Kerry will emphasize that the U.S. does not believe in any military solution to the Syrian crisis but at the same time does not think a political solution is possible with Bashar al-Assad still in power.