Kerry holds key talks in Saudi Arabia

RIYADH: US Secretary of State John Kerry sought on Thursday to ease Gulf concerns about an emerging nuclear deal with Iran and explore ways to calm instability in Yemen and other nations in the Middle East.
A day after wrapping up the latest round of Iran nuclear negotiations in Switzerland, Kerry was in Saudi Arabia for talks with senior officials from the Gulf states and Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman.
Kerry was meeting in Riyadh with the GCC foreign ministers, all of which are unnerved by Iran’s suspected pursuit of nuclear weapons and its increasing assertiveness throughout the region.
US officials said Kerry will reassure them that a deal with Tehran will not allow Iran to get the bomb and won’t mean American complacency on broader security matters.
US officials said Kerry would stress that the US does not see a military solution to the conflict in Syria, but also does not think a political solution is possible while Syrian President Bashar Assad remains in power.