The officials said Gates's appeal signaled a U.S. policy to expand defense
exports to Gulf Cooperation Council states and other Arab allies of the United States.
In a Sept. 8 interview with Qatar's A-Jazeera television, Gates said the
United States has sought to develop a diplomatic rather than a military
option toward Iran. But the U.S. defense secretary urged GCC and other Arab
countries to bolster military deterrence in an effort to prevent Iran from
acquiring nuclear weapons.
"One of the pathways to get the Iranians to change their approach on the
nuclear issue is to persuade them that moving down that path will actually
jeopardize their security, not enhance it," Gates said.
In contrast, Gates ruled out a U.S. military option against Iran. He
said the United States has determined that Iran, despite the support by such
allies as China and Russia, remained vulnerable to international pressure.
"Our view is that there is still an opportunity for diplomacy and
political and economic pressures to bring about a change of policy in Iran,
so getting into hypotheticals about military reaction, I think doesn't take
us very far," Gates said.
The defense secretary did not report the amount of U.S. arms sales to
the Gulf. But he disputed a report by A-Jazeera that Washington has sold
$100 billion worth of weapons to the six GCC states.
The Congressional Research Service, in a report released in September
2009, reported continued growth in U.S. weapons sales, particularly to the
Gulf. In a report titled "Conventional Arms Transfers to Developing
Nations," CRS, citing major deals with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab
Emirats, reported weapons sales to the Middle East and other developing
nations at $29.6 billion in 2008.
Despite the lack of a U.S. military option, Gates said he envisioned a
regional security regime that could eventually deter Iran. He cited the
development of neighboring Iraq, where the United States plans to withdraw
at least 80,000 troops by August 2010.
"I think that a strong and democratic Iraq, particularly one with a
multi-sectarian government, becomes a barrier to Iranian influence and not a
bridge for it," Gates said.
