President Obama attends the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit in Riyadh on Thursday.
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The Gulf countries, said Obama, cooperated “extensively” with the USA to counter terrorism and curb financing terrorism activities, which justifies Obama’s commitment to deter and confront aggression against Gulf Arab states.
President Barack Obama said Thursday that the US and its Gulf partners should wait to see whether Iraq can resolve its political crisis before committing more financial aid, arguing that the paralysis is impeding U.S.-led efforts to defeat the Islamic State group and reconstruct the war-torn country.
Since then, Gulf countries-in particular, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates-have stood firmly by Saudi Arabia, stepping up their war of words against Iran and criticizing Tehran’s interference in Arab affairs.
Obama also noted that the leaders also continue to have serious concerns about the behavior of the Iranian government.
“Even as Iran is calling us ‘The Great Satan, ‘ we were able to get a deal done where they got rid of their nuclear stockpiles, and that makes us safer”, the president said.
“What is true between the United States and the GCC, as is true with all of our allies and friends is that at any point of time there are going to be differences”, Mr Obama said.
Obama arrived for his brief visit to the Saudi kingdom Wednesday, looking to overcome a strain in ties between Riyadh and Washington.
The president also said that he and his Gulf counterparts had discussed how to best take advantage of fragile cease-fires in Yemen and Syria.
Obama pledged to work closely with GCC leaders on several fronts, including Iran and Syria, which is presently the focus of deteriorating United Nations-sponsored peace talks.
With ISIS suffering a series of recent setbacks in areas under its control in Syria and Iraq, Washington is also seeking more help from the oil-rich Gulf monarchies to keep up the pressure.
“The issues that have come to the surface really have been more longstanding, and Saudi Arabia has really come to not feel like they can count on us quite as much”, said Corker.
The Latest on President Barack Obama’s meeting with top officials from six Arab nations in Saudi Arabia.
King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud ascended to the throne to replace his half-brother, promptly reshuffling the cabinet; Riyadh also began an campaign against Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen; and global powers closed in on completing the nuclear deal with Iran, Saudi Arabia’s regional arch-rival. “The fact of the matter is that friendship and cooperation between the USA and the Gulf countries has been consistent for decades”.
The U.S. has said Iran is meeting its commitments under the nuclear deal while continuing to violate other global obligations.
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“The two leaders reaffirmed the historic friendship and deep strategic partnership between the United States and Saudi Arabia”, the White House said in a statement.
