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 Most Gulf Arab states are worried that Iran's July 14 accord with
the United States and other powers will hasten detente between
Tehran and Washington and embolden the Islamic republic to support
paramilitary allies in the region.
Last month, world powers agreed to lift sanctions on Iran in return
for curbs on nuclear work the West suspects was aimed at making an
atomic bomb but Tehran says is peaceful.
Speaking in Egypt on Sunday, Kerry said the United States had
labeled Iran the world's number-one state sponsor of terror, but
this was precisely why it was so important to ensure Tehran did not
obtain a nuclear weapon.
"There can be absolutely no question that if the Vienna plan is
fully implemented, it will make Egypt and all the countries of this
region safer than they otherwise would be or were," he said, adding
that he would discuss ways to ensure the future security of the
region in Doha.
In Doha, Kerry will meet members of the Gulf Cooperation Council,
which groups Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain,
Kuwait, Oman and Qatar.
 He will also hold trilateral talks with Russian counterpart Sergei
Lavrov and Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, which
U.S. officials say will focus on the war in Syria.
Russia has been trying to bring about rapprochement between the
Syrian government and regional states including Saudi Arabia and
Turkey, to forge an alliance to fight Islamic State.
Kerry said last month he planned to discuss with Lavrov combating
Islamic State militants and the role Iran could play.
IRANIAN ROLE
Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif wrote an article in
several Arab newspapers to coincide with the talks, urging Gulf Arab
countries to work with Iran to combat a wave on instability in the
Middle East.
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"We must all accept the fact that the era of zero-sum games is over,
and we all win or lose together," he wrote in Arabic, backing up his
statement with passages from the Koran.
Nonetheless, Iran remains locked in a struggle with Saudi Arabia and
its allies for regional primacy. A deadly bombing in Bahrain last
week, which the government linked to Iran, was taken by many as a
sign Tehran could not be trusted.
U.S. officials say Kerry's diplomatic outreach in Doha is a
follow-up to a summit with Gulf Arab leaders called by President
Barack Obama at Camp David in May, which was snubbed by the leaders
of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
At that meeting Obama responded to worries among Gulf states about
the Iran deal by vowing to back them against any "external attack".
Obama stopped short of offering a formal defense treaty that some
Gulf states wanted. Instead he announced more modest measures,
including integrating ballistic missile defense systems and beefing
up cyber and maritime security.
On Wednesday, the U.S. State Department approved the sale of 600
Patriot anti-missile missiles to Saudi Arabia at an expected cost of
$5.4 billion as well as $500 million worth of ammunition for various
weapons systems.
(Reporting by David Brunnstrom, Editing by William Maclean and
Andrew Heavens)
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