Hagel reassures Persian Gulf allies

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel reassured Persian Gulf allies Wednesday of U.S. commitments to defend them amid tensions in the U.S.-Saudi relationship, including differences over how to help moderate rebel forces remove President Bashar Assad from power in Syria.

Hagel’s visit — his third to Saudi Arabia in the past year — was designed to calm Gulf states that feel vulnerable to Iran’s influence and are frustrated at U.S. policy on Syria, which has not yet included weapons or other lethal aid in the three-year civil war. Washington also wants to foster more effective, practical forms of defense cooperation on the Arabian Peninsula by integrating their air and missile defense systems.