U.S. Defense Secretary: Gulf Arab states back Iran nuclear sanctions
Robert Gates says Iran's neighbors are concerned about Tehran's 'aggressive behavior' with respect to Hezbollah and Lebanon.
By ReutersIran's neighbors are clearly concerned about Tehran's "aggressive behavior" and support international sanctions aimed at curbing its nuclear ambitions, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Friday after a week of travel that included stops in two Gulf states.
"You can see the general support in the region for applying the sanctions and for doing what we can to make the sanctions effective and try to influence the Iranian government to walk away from their nuclear weapons program," Gates told reporters on his plane home after visiting Oman, Afghanistan and the United Arab Emirates.
"There clearly is concern, not just in this region but elsewhere, about Iran's overall aggressive behavior with respect to Hezbollah and Lebanon and other places around the world," he said. "And I think that's a broadly shared concern."
Iran has moved to reassure Gulf Arab states in recent days after U.S. diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks showed great alarm in the region over Tehran's nuclear enrichment program, which the international community believes is aimed at producing atomic weapons but Iran says is for energy production.
Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki told a Gulf security conference in Bahrain last week that "our power in the region is your power." But a senior Gulf Arab security official said concerns would remain until Iran dealt "openly" with the international community over its nuclear program.
Gates said he discussed the importance of maintaining diplomatic and economic pressure on Iran during a "very satisfactory" meeting at Mina Palace on Thursday evening with the Abu Dhabi crown prince, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahayan.
"We talked about our bilateral relationship, particularly our military-to-military relationship, as well as the desirability of greater multilateral cooperation in the Gulf on air and missile defense and maritime surveillance," Gates said.
"We obviously talked about Iran and the importance of the sanctions and keeping the diplomatic and economic pressure on," he said.
Gates said he and the crown prince, one of the UAE's leading defense officials, also discussed the need to continue international support for Yemen and its leader in confronting a range of challenges. Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is a growing threat in Yemen.
"We talked about Yemen and ... the concerns we have about Yemen and President Saleh (Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh)... as he takes on the various challenges there," Gates said.
Gates told a town hall meeting at the U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan on Thursday that one of the main lessons to be learned from the conflicts the United States is now fighting is the need to address the underlying problems before they become a crisis.
"The hardest thing for us to sell to legislators is what we in the military call Phase Zero operations, getting into a place that's got problems and addressing those problems, building the capacity of that government , both civilian and military, so it can deal with those problems so that we don't subsequently have to send in our troops," he said.
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U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates |
| Photo by: AP |
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But the world was not exactly happy with US behavior the way it invaded Iraq and the way it threatens to attack Iran. The world is even less happy with Israel's behavior in the the Occupied Palestinian Territories and what is the US going to do about that Israel's behavior? Or does the US think that neither .it nor Israel has any behavior at all?
Pit the Sunnis and the Shiites against each other. Maybe they'll blow each other up before they get around to the infidels. Long live the Islamic schism!. Remember what happened in the Thirty Years War in Europe between Catholics and Protestants--it was really nasty!
US try to persuade everybody is the Problem,,,why..? Iran does not occupy land nor suppress people nor has secret atomic program unlike Israel..Iran is also a sigantory of NPT unlike israel...pls do not insult our intelligence
The UN sanctions are broadly enforced. That is why Ahmadinejad is in trouble today.
many Gulf states have no clear policy, they are telling two stories : one is intended to their own people consumption and the other is for US. in the past, they have supported Irak attacking Iran before suffering from Saddam policy and Kuweit occupation. I think Iran also doesn't trust gulf states and they are both the real enemies rather than Israel which is evoked to internal affair in those no-democratic states
US citizens trust Soros/Obama less than anyone else. Just look at the reviews and polls of his "abilities."
The Gulf States really means Gulf leaders. What they are really worried about is that Shia Iran is giving Shia the belief they that have to oppressed from the corrupt Sunni regimes. Let’s not kid our selves, Iran is more democratic than all the Gulf States put together. That gives hope to Shias that they can make a difference. Hope and democracy is something corrupt American puppets in the Gulf don’t to confront. And with regard to non-Jews, Israel doesn’t like that either.
That must explain the thousands massacred last year after the "democratic" elections! Thanks for the info
As someone who knows the political system of Iran, I can tell you what peter meant by Iran being more democratic than the Persian Gulf states is correct. I am no fan of the mullahs regime, but there are more democratic measures instilled in the system and a lot of civic participation that makes a laughing stock of the said arab states. That must've been obvious to you if you really followed the pre and post-election events in Iran. The election coup, while unanticipated, has become a catalyst that'll unseat the regime. No matter how much atrocity and oppression the regime puts on the society, people aren't budgin. Just three days ago there were student protests in all universities. One grand mullah figure came out yesterday saying that in the face of repression (something the regime has continually denied), the movement is well and alive -- and this guys is a hardliner!! The fact is that the regime is no longer in charge of the undercurrents. The friction between the state and the society will bring about change by the people themselves. And it'll be sooner than later, unless some stupid foreign elements decide to derail it which will be an unfortunate thing not just for the Iranians but for the region as a whole.
However with no doubt, like financial crisis, Arab will make both Iran and Israel-US dancing! It is not something new, but Israel and US don't learn! That time also Saudy showed green light to US that if you sanction Iran, we would cover oil problem. However when financial crisis triggered by sanction and tension of Iran sent all American banks to bankruptcy, the Saudis did nothing for supply side!and US could do nothing! lets see who would be damaged more from Arabs in next five years:Iran or Israel? Then who would damage more Israel in next 10 years: Iran or Arabs? You just have forgot that Iran's ties with Arab countries are natural, but your enmity with Arab states is natural!Isn't it better at first you establish your embassy in UAE and Saudi? I think at any condition we would force sooner our government to establish your embassy in Iran!
There they go again, praising the undemocratic Arab Gulf states....just like Irak thosedays, under Saddam.
Saudi and the Gulf States have us by our oil-burning balls. One squeeze if we displease, and it's gas line time.
After all, we Jews do rule the world.
One day Sadam like current Saudi was serving US to hurt Iran! American armed him to weaken Iran! They armed him so much that he raised against them.So see you soon in Saudi!
Really? I hadn't noticed.
word "we." Just insult yourself!
All the diplospeak in the world will change nothing on the ground. Bush violated the expressed warnings of virtually all Arab states and Israel, and even his own CIA, BEFORE ordering the Iraq invasion. All warned that the one thing that would most please Iran and serve its interests was for the US to remove its most implacable and capable enemy. Credibility of US judgment, of its awareness of even its own, to say nothing of local allies and dependencies needs and interests, took a nosedive. And Iran blossomed on a succession of US military and diplomatic failures in the region covering two, supposedly opposite, presidencies. WikiLeaks provides a day-by-day chronicle of Iran arming, training, providing intelligence and even engaging in actions against the US military in both theatres. And two presidencies have feared the consequences of confronting the aggressor. Nothing provokes more than fear. Bush chose Gates and Mullen because both support the US NOT confronting Iran. Obama keeps them for the same reason. And US ME policy of avoidance has resulted in an almost nuclear Iran threatening the entire region, direct and indirect through proxies low-level warfare and a possible hot war or nuclear arms race. Great US policy outcome. The US has already sent our long-time ally, Turkey seeking shelter with Iran, and other previously allied Arab states considering the same. Bereft of allies and bases, the US is gone, and with that “gone” go the oil and the strategic crossroads east to west, north to south. The US faced-off against the Soviet Union via Egypt and Syria in the twentieth century, and won. Well, guess who’s behind the ayatollahs today? And this time the US is losing.
Olmert said you have the weapons. Why not officially join the club and fess up to what every nation on Earth knows?
some of the harshest Inquisitors were former Jews who had converted to Catholicism. Your harsh, violent and unending criticism of Israel, together with your Jewish-sounding surname, leads me to think that you too are a former Jew, or at least the son of a former Jew. AmI right?
How about the content of what he's posting? The Inquisition? Catholicism? Former Jew? Wow. Salaam/Shalom
I respect Jewish moral values.
Silver's name doesn't matter. The fact that his comments are simply "cut and pastes" from Mein Kampf does!
These same 'worried' neighbors should ally with Israel instead of sponsoring the funding and the education of anti USA and anti Israeli terrorists? Whaddaya'think?
Here’s an idea. How about Israel change it policies to get them better relations with its neighbors?
Brutal Arab dictators are worried about Iran because they view a resurgent Iran as a threat to their sphere of influence. Arab people do not even come close to sharing that concern. A recent poll by the Brookings Institute shows that only 10% of Arabs view Iran as a threat, whereas 88% view Israel as a threat, and 77% view the US as a threat. So it would be far more accurate to say a hand full of dictators support sanctions against Iran, but Iran's actual neighbours support sanctions against Israel. What does this tell us? The US prefers the views of brutal dictators to the views of the people they repress. It tells us that the US has unparalleled contempt for democracy.
What makes you think that if the dictators are gone the newly established societal structures will be more democratic? Especially in a long run?