Riyadh (AFP) – US Secretary of State John Kerry, on a visit to Saudi Arabia Saturday, again sought to reassure his Gulf allies concerned over perceived warming of ties between Washington and Iran.
He also announced that the Syria Support Group of 20 nations and organizations will meet “very shortly” to help push peace in the war-ravaged country.
Kerry spoke in Riyadh after attending a meeting with his Saudi counterpart Adel al-Jubeir and other foreign ministers from the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council.
“The United States remains concerned about some of the activities that Iran is engaged in in other countries,” Kerry told reporters, citing as an example Iran’s “support for terrorist groups like Hezbollah”.
Saudi Arabia and its Gulf neighbors perceive a lack of US engagement in the region, particularly in the face of what they see as Iran’s “interference” in Yemen, Syria, Lebanon and elsewhere.
Those feelings crystallized with the historic international deal which this month lifted crippling economic sanctions on Iran in return for a scaling back of its nuclear capabilities.
Jubeir told reporters that he did not see a “coming together” of the US and Iran.

Saudi journalists at a press conference with John Kerry and Adel al-Jubeir

“Iran remains the world’s chief sponsor of terrorism,” Jubeir said.
“Overall I think the United States is very aware of the danger of Iran’s mischief and nefarious activities… I don’t believe the United States is under any illusion as to what type of government Iran is”.