In a briefing on Oct. 8, Feltman, responsible for the Middle East, said
GCC states would play a central role in any diplomatic process with Iran.
Feltman, in a conference call from Washington, said Iran has taken positive
steps over the last month regarding its nuclear program.
"We want to ensure that other regional governments understand what we
are trying to do and second of all, we want to incorporate into our strategy
the concerns of the regional governments — in particular their
experiences," Feltman said. "Gulf governments have a rich history and
experience of dealing with Iran that frankly we don't have, and there's a
lot of wisdom that they can and are providing us with."
Officials acknowledged that GCC states have expressed increasing concern
over the U.S. reconciliation policy with Teheran. They said GCC states have
determined that Iran was using the U.S. initative to complete its nuclear
weapons program.
In his briefing, Feltman said he expected that the administration would
progress in talks with Iran. He said Washington has sought to launch direct
talks with Teheran.
"There are certain benchmarks which Iran needs to achieve, and if there
is constructive action by the Iranian government it will encourage the
international community to continue in dialogue." Feltman said.
Officials said the proposed U.S.-led missile defense system for Europe
would counter both Iranian long-term and short-term threats. They said the
shield would be based on U.S. Navy Aegis-class cruisers armed with SM-3
missiles, with a ground-based component to be introduced at a later stage.
"It will be ready sooner to meet the threats that exist, but will evolve
to include elements that will deal with longer-range Iranian missile threats
that may emerge toward the end of the decade,"
Alexander Vershbow, assistant secretary of defense for international
security affairs, told another briefing on Oct. 8. "The recent Iranian
missile tests have led the Russians to perhaps view the threats more along
the lines we've been arguing along the years. Until recently, they’ve been
minimizing the threat. Iran has tested missiles that can produce
intermediate range missile and ultimately [intercontinental ballistic
missiles]."