Gulf Roundtable: The Charms of Iran: A GCC Perspective

Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states view the recent steps toward U.S.-Iran rapprochement with anxiety and skepticism, according to Abdullah al-Shayji. Al-Shayji is chairman of the Political Science Department and professor of international relations at Kuwait University, and he spoke at a Gulf Roundtable entitled “The Charms of Iran: A GCC Perspective” on October 21, 2013. Al-Shayji argued that to assuage Gulf leaders’ concerns, the United States should insist that Iran act responsibly toward its neighbors and not limit bilateral talks to the issue of Iran’s nuclear program. He described how Gulf leaders view a potential U.S.-Iran nuclear agreement as the United States downgrading GCC security concerns, weakening the longstanding U.S.-GCC relationship.