Gates: Gulf allies understand Iran sanctions next

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Gates: Gulf allies understand Iran sanctions next

Gates: Gulf allies understand Iran sanctions next
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
11/03/2010 21:18

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — US Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday that Persian Gulf allies understand sanctions are the inevitable next step in dealing with the threat of a nuclear Iran. He predicted economic sanctions will work due to broad international consensus that Iran had overstepped its boundaries. "I think everybody in the region is concerned," Gates said following two days of talks in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Iran was the constant topic. Gates said leaders in both countries seemed reassured when he described the US-backed plan to target Iranian leadership and the powerful military-industrial Revolutionary Guards Corps, while sparing Iranian civilians as much as possible.

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U.S. sees Gulf support in Western push for Iran sanctions
By Reuters

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Thursday that leading Gulf states appeared ready to use their clout to lobby China to support sanctions against Iran over its disputed nuclear program. A day after meeting Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah in Riyadh, Gates traveled to the United Arab Emirates to discuss a Western push for new punitive measures against Iran with Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahayan. Asked after the talks whether his hosts were ready to help the U.S. overcome Chinese and Russian doubts on sanctions, Gates said: "I have a sense that there is a willingness to do that. Although there is less need with respect to Russia, because I think Russia is pretty much already there. It's mainly China."

Tension between Iran and the West has risen as Washington steps up a drive to secure a fourth round of UN sanctions over Tehran's refusal to halt uranium enrichment. As Gates toured the Gulf, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad condemned the U.S. presence in the region, warning that Washington was seeking to dominate the region's energy resources in the name of fighting terrorism.

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