US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton reassured Washington’s “rock solid and unwavering” commitment to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Oman.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton reassured Washington’s “rock solid and unwavering” commitment to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Oman, promoting “a missile shield to protect Gulf Arab states from Tehran”.

According to AFP, Clinton highlighted, in a speech to a first multilateral Gulf-US security forum on Saturday, the US concerns about Iran, and called for taking "practical and specific steps to strengthen our (US and GCC states) mutual security, such as helping our militaries improve interoperability, cooperate on maritime security and missile defence, and coordinate responses to crises."

She reiterated the US insistence on “preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon and curbing its interference in the affairs of its neighbors,” adding that she was looking forward to “talks with the GCC on ending the bloodshed in Syria and supporting the peaceful transitions underway in North Africa and across the region, and fully integrating Iraq into regional affairs.”

During her visit to Saudi Arabia which began on Friday, the US secretary of State reportedly held talks with King Abdullah and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal, and discussed with them ways to tighten the sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program.

AFP quoted a State Department official as saying that “they talked about keeping the global oil supply strong, and the essential role Saudi Arabia plays in that," the official said.

According to the agency, “Clinton also discussed with the Saudis international efforts to send more humanitarian aid into Syria, and support opposition efforts to present a united and inclusive political vision for the future… and tightening the array of US, European, Canadian, Arab and Turkish sanctions on Syria.”