During their upcoming meeting with President Barack Obama, scheduled for later this month, the leaders of the six-nation Persian Gulf Cooperation Council, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, are expected to request additional fighter jets, missile batteries and surveillance equipment to bolster their arsenals, Iran’s news agency IRNA reported.
They will also press for new common defense agreements with Washington to guard against a possible outside attack, above all by Iran.
All this means that the much-awaited nuclear deal the P5+1 group of nations and Iran clinched in Lausanne this past April 2, with an eye to stabilizing the Middle East could backfire by further militarizing an already volatile region.
The Gulf leaders’ desire to strengthen their military muscle poses a serious problem for Washington, which wants to show support for its Arab allies while, at the same time ensuring Israel maintains a military edge over its Arab neighbors.
