Inside Story

John Kerry’s tough sell to Gulf foreign ministers

Following the nuclear deal with Iran, the US secretary of state flies to Qatar to reassure Gulf foreign ministers.

It is a tough sell. 

The US secretary of state has met foreign ministers from the Gulf Cooperation Council in the Qatari capital.

John Kerry is trying to soothe Arab fears over the nuclear deal with regional rival Iran.

It has agreed to freeze nuclear development for the next decade in exchange for the gradual lifting of sanctions, which are crippling the Iranian economy.

But Gulf states are concerned about Iran’s regional ambitions and question the Iranian role in the wars in Syria and Yemen.

The complicated relationship between the United States and the Middle East is also on the agenda in Doha.

On Inside Story we ask whether its Arab neighbours are right to fear Tehran’s warmer ties with the West.

And what will be the fallout of Iran taking a more active role in the Middle East?

Presenter: Adrian Finighan

Guests:

Shahriar Shahabi, Iran political analyst, technology entrepreneur and business strategist 

Nicholas Noe, visiting fellow, European Council on Foreign Relations and co-founder of MideastWire.com.

Omar Mohamed, research analyst and co-author, The Gulf Military Balance