RIYADH - Gulf Arab defence ministers met in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday to discuss joint defence against ”emerging regional powers”, which diplomats said was an apparent reference to Iran.Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries share US concerns that Iran’s nuclear energy programme is a cover for developing nuclear weapons. They have announced plans for their own nuclear energy programme. “We are here to discuss developing defence in the Gulf countries ... in the light of changing sources of threat, the rise of the terrorism danger and emerging regional powers,” Deputy Saudi Defence Minister Prince Abdul-Rahman bin Abdul-Aziz told a meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council. “We must work hard to develop our armed forces so that they can secure regional stability and the safety of oil sources,” he said, in comments carried by Saudi media.
The Gulf Cooperation Council includes Saudi Arabia other oil and gas producers Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and the United Arab Emirates. The loose economic and political alliance also includes Bahrain, where the government is wary of Iranian territorial designs because of its ShiÂ’ite majority population.