Abu Dhabi [UAE], June 24 (ANI): US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed on Wednesday to discuss the recent US-Iran diplomatic breakthrough, reinforcing Washington’s strategic security commitments to its Gulf partners during the opening leg of his regional tour.
The high-level meeting was confirmed by Rubio’s spokesperson, Tommy Pigott, who detailed the core focus of the bilateral discussions between the two leaders.
‘They discussed President Trump’s memorandum of understanding with Iran, efforts to secure full and safe transit through the Strait of Hormuz, and the importance of peace and stability in the region,’ Pigott said.
The visit underscores Washington’s proactive diplomatic outreach to traditional allies in the Arabian Gulf. During the deliberations, the US Secretary of State reassured the Emirati leadership of continued American support amid the shifting regional security architecture.
Rubio ‘reaffirmed the US commitment to the security of the Emirates’, Pigott added.
Prior to the high-level meeting, the US Secretary of State spoke to reporters upon his arrival in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday (local time), stating that lasting peace and stability in West Asia cannot be achieved as long as Iranian-backed proxy groups continue launching attacks and engaging in militant activities across the region.
Stressing that discussions over a Lebanon ceasefire are separate from ongoing negotiations with Iran, Rubio warned that Iranian proxies operating from Iraq continue to threaten regional security through missile and drone attacks.
‘You can’t have the end of hostilities and conflict in the region as long as Iranian proxies are launching missiles and drones from Iraq and are participating in terrorism,’ Rubio said.
Addressing questions about Lebanon, Rubio underscored that any ceasefire arrangement involving Lebanon would be negotiated independently of talks concerning Iran, as Lebanon is a sovereign country with its own government.
‘Well, that process is separate. It’s separate because Lebanon is a sovereign country. It has a government. And when it comes to Lebanon and what’s happening inside of Lebanon, we’re going to negotiate a deal directly with the Lebanese Government,’ the US Secretary of State said.
He added that he had recently spoken with Lebanon President Joseph Aoun, alongside US Vice President JD Vance, and that US officials were currently engaged on the ground in Lebanon.
Rubio’s visit to the Persian Gulf region, scheduled from June 23 to June 25 with upcoming stops in Kuwait and Bahrain, comes days after the conclusion of the initial rounds of technical talks between Iran and the US in Switzerland, which formed part of the 14-point memorandum of understanding (MoU) aimed at ending regional hostilities.
The multi-nation trip is explicitly aimed at consulting regional allies, including representatives of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), as Washington advances discussions with Tehran.
‘We’re really here to hear from them more than we are to talk,’ Rubio told reporters, emphasising that Washington wants to fully take into account the economic and security viewpoints of its Gulf partners in the aftermath of the weekend talks in Switzerland.
The Secretary of State noted that while regional allies support efforts aimed at reducing tensions, significant challenges remain ahead.
‘All of them are on board for peace. Obviously, it all depends on the details of that peace as we work through,’ Rubio said, describing the framework as a work in progress where good groundwork was laid over the last 72 hours.
Rubio also dismissed suggestions that Washington would seek financial contributions from regional partners for a proposed USD 300 billion reconstruction fund for Iran, clarifying that such discussions were still ‘far down the road’.
On the broader issue of Iran’s future role in the region, Rubio concluded that Tehran’s leadership faces a fundamental choice between continuing its revolutionary agenda and pursuing a more constructive path.
‘If Iran’s leadership makes a decision that they want to be a country instead of a revolutionary movement that exports terror, they’re going to have an opportunity to do incredible things,’ he said, adding that progress on the activities of Iranian-backed groups would remain essential to any future diplomatic breakthroughs. (ANI)
