Iran N-talks: Kerry allays Gulf allies’ fears

RIYADH, March 5

The United States will not take its eye off Iran’s “destabilising” acts in the Middle East, Secretary of State John Kerry said today after talks with Gulf allies wary of an emerging nuclear deal with Tehran.

Kerry, in Saudi Arabia, also said military pressure may be needed to oust Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who is fighting a civil war against jihadists and Western-backed rebels.

Fresh from three days of negotiations in Switzerland, Kerry gathered at a Riyadh air base with foreign ministers from the six Gulf Cooperation Council nations.

Sunni Gulf states remain wary of a rapprochement between Shiite-dominated Iran and Washington. Kerry arrived after talks with Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, aiming to seal a nuclear deal with Tehran ahead of a March 31 deadline.

“Even as we engage in these discussions with Iran around this programme, we will not take our eye off Iran's destabilising actions in places like Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and the Arabian Peninsula, Yemen particularly," Kerry told reporters after meeting Saudi King Salman and Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal in Riyadh.

Speaking alongside Kerry, Prince Saud said Saudi Arabia was concerned by the involvement of Iran in the push being made by Iraqi forces alongside Shi'ite militias to retake the city of Tikrit from Islamic State.

"The situation in Tikrit is a prime example of what we are worried about. Iran is taking over the country," he said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a speech to the U.S. Congress on Tuesday a deal with Iran would be "a countdown to a potential nuclear nightmare".

Kerry said Washington was not seeking a a “grand bargain”. "Nothing will be different the day after this agreement, if we reach one, with respect to any other issues that challenge us in this region, except we will have taken steps to guarantee that Iran will not have a nuclear weapon." Iran has provided military assistance for Syria to fight rebels and to Iraq for its battle against Sunni extremists.

It has also been accused of backing Huthi Shiite militiamen who seized the capital in Saudi Arabia's neighbour, Yemen, and paralysed the Western-backed government. The nuclear talks in no way represent "a broader warming of ties, lessening of concerns on our part," deputy State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf insisted earlier. — Agencies