Overview
- The State Department said Secretary of State Marco Rubio will visit the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain and meet the Gulf Cooperation Council to present the preliminary Iran memorandum of understanding.
- President Donald Trump signed the memorandum last week, which starts a 60-day window for the United States and Iran to negotiate a more comprehensive agreement.
- A U.S. team led by Vice President JD Vance completed a first round of mediated talks in Switzerland and technical discussions are expected to continue this week.
- Gulf leaders have raised two main objections: a possible $300 billion reconstruction fund that they fear could rebuild Iran’s military and back proxies, and the pact’s omission of limits on Iran’s ballistic missiles.
- Several Gulf states host major U.S. military bases that underpin American strategy in the region, and leaders’ unease over the pact could prompt changes in security cooperation after recent attacks such as the Kuwait airport drone strike.