United States Seeks Agreement with Iran, but Not at Any Cost

Top US diplomat Marco Rubio warned on Thursday that a deal with Iran would not come at any price, as he sought to reassure Gulf allies that it would not undermine their security. 

Rubio was in Bahrain as part of a regional tour of Gulf partners that were hit hardest by Iran during the Middle East war, which began on February 28 with a massive US-Israeli campaign of strikes against the Islamic republic.

The United States and Iran have signed a preliminary deal to end the war, embarking on negotiations expected to touch on thorny issues including Tehran's nuclear programme,



sanctions relief and global energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz. 

The Gulf and Israel have long voiced concerns about Iran's support for proxies in the region and its missile programme -- but it remains unclear whether these topics will be addressed in the negotiations.

"While we want a deal, we don't want a deal at any price," Rubio told a Gulf Cooperation Council meeting in Bahrain. "We want to ensure... that there is no part of this deal that's undertaken that in any way undermines the security, the stability, or the prosperity of any of our partners in the Gulf region."