Obama: We Stand with Our Gulf Allies Against Foreign Attacks

Barack Obama, the President of the United States, said on Thursday, May 13, after a joint meeting with leaders and representatives of the six member countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council at Camp David, "The United States will stand alongside its Arab allies against any foreign attack." Mr. Obama also added that the goal of security cooperation with the member countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council is not to isolate Iran or confront Tehran. According to Reuters, Mr. Obama committed to considering the use of military force to defend the member countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council if necessary and also to assist these countries in countering "Iran's destabilizing actions" in the region. Reuters adds that Barack Obama did not offer a formal defense treaty to these six countries but announced an increase in military cooperation with them, including strengthening cyber and maritime security. One of the main topics of discussion between the U.S. and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries was the nuclear negotiations between six world powers and Iran. These six Arab countries stated in their joint statement that a comprehensive and verifiable agreement regarding Iran's nuclear program, which takes into account regional and international concerns, would be in the interest of the security of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries and the U.S. Furthermore, the final joint statement of the Camp David meeting emphasized the continuation of discussions on topics such as the crises in Syria and Yemen and also the fight against the Islamic State group. Ahead of the meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council members with the President of the United States, leaders of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Oman announced for various reasons that they would not attend the Camp David meeting. Earlier, Adel al-Jubeir, the Saudi Foreign Minister, stated that the discussions at the summit of the leaders of the Gulf Arab countries and the U.S. President, which will be held at the end of this week in Washington, would focus on Iran's "aggressive" policies in the Middle East.