U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is embarking on a diplomatic tour of the Middle East this week, visiting the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Bahrain from Tuesday through Thursday to make the case for the Trump administration’s preliminary agreement with Iran directly to Gulf Arab leaders.
While in Bahrain, Rubio is also scheduled to meet with the Gulf Cooperation Council — known as the GCC — a bloc of six Sunni-led monarchies that also includes Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Oman. State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott confirmed the trip on Monday.
Although GCC member nations have generally backed efforts to end the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, many of those same leaders are uneasy about the specifics of the memorandum of understanding that President Donald Trump signed last week.
A major sticking point for regional officials is a provision that could establish a $300 billion reconstruction fund for Tehran. Gulf leaders fear Iran would use that money to rebuild its military and continue bankrolling proxy groups throughout the region. Adding to their anxiety is the deal’s silence on Iran’s ballistic missile program — a particularly sensitive issue for nations that have faced Iranian missile and drone attacks in recent months.
The UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar all host American military installations, which form the foundation of U.S. military presence in the Middle East. Any shift — even a minor one — in how those countries approach their security relationship with Washington could carry significant consequences for U.S. strategy in the region.
Rubio’s visit is part of a broader wave of Iran-focused diplomacy. Trump signed the Iran memorandum of understanding on Wednesday during a visit with French President Emmanuel Macron at Versailles. The agreement starts a 60-day countdown for the United States and Iran to finalize a more comprehensive deal.
Over the weekend, a U.S. negotiating team led by Vice President JD Vance participated in talks in Switzerland, facilitated by Qatari and Pakistani mediators. The first phase of those discussions wrapped up Monday, with technical-level negotiations set to continue throughout the week.
The specific schedule for Rubio’s stops in each country, along with the full list of officials he plans to meet, had not been released as of Monday. In his statement, Pigott said Rubio — who also serves as the White House national security advisor — would “discuss a range of regional priorities including the memorandum of understanding with Iran, efforts to secure full and free safe transit through the Strait of Hormuz, and the importance of peace and stability in the region.”
