The secretary general of the Gulf Cooperation Council said during a two-day visit to Tehran that a committee was studying the possibility of setting up a joint security organization with Iran.
‘Abd A-Rahman Bin Hamad Al-‘Atiyya is meeting with senior Iranian officials in the visit to the Iranian capital that began on Tuesday. The visit is indicative of efforts to improve relations between Iran and the GCC, which includes Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman and the United Arab Emirates.
Tension has been high between the two sides.
Sunni Muslim Gulf states are allied with the United States in the war against terror and they share Western concerns about the Shi’ite Iran becoming a nuclear power in the region.
Iran has been under international pressure since 2002 to abandon its nuclear program for fear Tehran is manufacturing a nuclear bomb. Tehran insists the program is for the peaceful purpose of energy creation and upholds its right to possess nuclear energy.
Iran has threatened to retaliate to any aggression on its soil by closing down the Hurmuz Strait, which will disrupt global oil supplies and hit Gulf states in the pocket.
Iran has opened a new naval facility in Jask, at the entrance to the Gulf, the declared aim of which is to enable Iran to block an enemy from entering Iran in the event that the country is attacked.
There is also an ongoing sovereignty dispute between Iran and the UAE over the status of three Gulf islands.
Despite this, there are efforts to improve relations from both sides.
Last year Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadi Nejad accepted a rare invitation from the GCC to address its summit.
There is speculation that the GCC efforts to improve ties with Iran are fueled by concerns that in the event the new administration in Washington will open a dialogue with Iran, the Arab countries will be marginalized. They also do not want to have to depend on the United States to speak with Iran.
Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki stressed the importance of setting up a joint security organization between Iran and GCC countries, according to Al-Jazeera.
A thaw in relations between Iran and the GCC is a long-term process manifested in a number of steps over the past few years, including Ahmadi Nejad’s participation in the GCC summit, said Hady Amr, director of the Brookings Doha Center.
“Prior to 2003, Gulf states generally followed the lead of the U.S. on many issues but what we’ve seen since 2003 is a loss of confidence in the ability of the U.S. to effectively manage its foreign policy in the Middle East,” Amr told The Media Line.
“As a result, many states in the Middle East have taken matters into their own hands.”