Rubio to visit Gulf states amid Iran deal concerns

Investing.com -- U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel from Tuesday through Thursday to the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain to discuss the Trump administration's preliminary Iran agreement with Gulf Arab allies, State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said Monday.

Rubio will meet with the Gulf Cooperation Council while in Bahrain. The GCC includes six Sunni states: Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, the UAE, Kuwait and Bahrain.

GCC leaders have broadly supported efforts to end the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran but are concerned about specific terms in the memorandum of understanding that President Donald Trump signed last week. Regional officials are particularly worried about a possible $300 billion reconstruction fund for Tehran, which Gulf leaders believe Iran will use to rebuild its military and fund regional proxy groups.

The MoU's failure to address Iran's ballistic missile program also concerns Washington's Gulf allies, who have faced Iranian missile and drone attacks in recent months.

The UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar all host U.S. military bases that form the backbone of America's security structure in the Middle East.

Trump signed the Iran MoU on Wednesday while visiting French President Emmanuel Macron in Versailles. The agreement starts a 60-day period for Washington and Tehran to reach a more comprehensive deal.

A team of U.S. negotiators led by Vice President JD Vance attended talks mediated by Qatari and Pakistani officials in Switzerland over the weekend. The first round of those talks concluded Monday, and technical discussions are expected to continue through the week.

Pigott said Rubio would "discuss a range of regional priorities including the memorandum of understanding with Iran, efforts to secure full and free safe transit through the Strait of Hormuz, and the importance of peace and stability in the region."

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