In Saudi Arabia, Obama pledges vigilance against Iran

Obama on Thursday pledges to remain vigilant against Iran’s destabilizing activities in the Middle East as he tries to allay concerns of Persian Gulf allies wary of his nuclear deal with their regional rival.

“None of our nations have an interest in conflict with Iran,” Obama says as he meets with top officials from six Arab nations at a Gulf summit in Saudi Arabia.

Obama, finishing his brief trip to the kingdom, says he and the Gulf leaders had agreed about ways to move forward in campaign the Islamic State group, with members of the Gulf Cooperation Council agreeing to “increase their contributions to the fight.”

He says the nations had also agreed to help Iraq. That was a nod to Obama’s request to Gulf countries to step up their financial and political support for rebuilding Iraq after years of war.

— AP