Marco Rubio to meet Gulf allies amid division over US-Iran ceasefire deal

Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, is to meet Gulf allies on Tuesday and Wednesday in an attempt to reassure them that the US remains committed to their security and the 60-day ceasefire deal struck with Iran last week will not embolden Tehran. The Gulf is divided over the deal. While Qatar has played a central role in mediating the agreement, some countries – notably the United Arab Emirates , Kuwait and Bahrain – are fearful it hands Iran substantial sums that may be ploughed into its military. Donald Trump said in a post to his Truth Social platform on Tuesday that the unfrozen assets would be under US control and used to buy food and medical supplies from the US. The US president also claimed Iran had agreed to allow nuclear inspections long into the future, despite statements from Iran that it has not done so. In his first trip to the region since the US and Israel started the war on 28 February, Rubio will visit the UAE, Kuwait and Bahrain , the state department said. He is also likely to meet officials from the Gulf Cooperation Council regional body. All three countries, which house large US military bases, have been hit by Iranian missiles, but the US has declined to detail the scale of the impacts. Severe penalties have been imposed on those using social media to reveal the damage. …