US to speed up arms sales to Gulf: Kerry
Washington has agreed to speed up arms sales to Gulf states, US Secretary of State John Kerry announced Monday after talks in Doha on their concerns over the Iran nuclear deal.
At the same time, his Qatari counterpart, Khalid bin Mohammad Al-Attiyah, told a joint press conference with Kerry that the nuclear deal was "the best option among other options".
Asked what he could offer Gulf states, Kerry said the United States "agreed to expedite certain arms sales that are needed and that have taken too long in the past".
The US would also step up efforts to share intelligence and increase the number of joint military exercises with its Arab allies, Kerry said following talks with foreign ministers of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council.
He travelled to the Qatari capital for meetings with the Sunni monarchies of the GCC in a bid to calm their fears over the nuclear accord with Shiite Iran.
The GCC groups Qatar with Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Gulf countries have expressed concerns that the July 14 deal between Iran and world powers would allow greater regional interference by the Islamic republic.
Kerry added that there was also agreement to "talk about how to integrate the region's ballistic missile defences based on some of the activities of other countries".
Attiyah also called for a ban on all nuclear weapons not only in Iran but "all the Middle East".
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