U.S. to help Arab states to develop ballistic missile defense capability

Baku. 20 July. REPORT.AZ/ U.S. seeks to allay concerns of allies on Iran, Report informs The Wall Street Journal writes. 

According to the newspaper, The Obama administration has launched an aggressive campaign to try to allay the fears of allies in the Middle East over the Iran nuclear deal. 

Senior administration officials are making the strongest overtures to Israel and Saudi Arabia. There have been repeated offers recently to increase the $3 billion U.S. military aid package to Israel.

The U.S. is specifically looking at ways to expedite arms transfers to Arab states in the Persian Gulf and is accelerating plans for them to develop an integrated regional ballistic missile defense capability, a senior administration official said.

One of the administration's top challenges is to counter backlash over a provision in the nuclear pact that would lift United Nations embargoes on arms and ballistic missile technologies to Iran, in five and eight years respectively.

The White House is seeking to ease Saudi Arabia's anxiety over the Iran deal to keep the oil-rich kingdom from trying to match Tehran's nuclear capabilities. President Barack Obama wants to assure that Israel doesn't launch a military strike on Iranian nuclear sites. The Israelis also exert political influence in Congress, which can vote to approve or disapprove the deal.