Gates: Allies won't be abandoned for Iran

WASHINGTON, May 4 (UPI) -- Two long-time Middle Eastern allies won't be abandoned if U.S.-Iran diplomatic relations improve, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said.

Gates, on a trip to the region this week, said he will tell Egyptian and Saudi Arabian leaders any overtures to Iran won't be at the expense of relationships with the two countries, Voice of America reported Monday.

"One important message will be ... that any kind of outreach to Iran will not be at the expense of our long-term relationships with Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States, that have been our partners and friends for decades," Gates said. "We will deal with this in a sensible way and in a way that hopefully increases the security of everybody in the region, not just us."

Gates also said all parties should be realistic about the prospect of significantly improved U.S.-Iran relations.

"There's probably some concerns in the region that may draw on an exaggerated sense of what's possible," he said. "I just think it's important to reassure our friends and allies in the region that, while we're willing to reach out to the Iranians, as the president said, with an open hand, I think everybody in the administration, from the president on down, is pretty realistic, and will be pretty tough-minded if we still encounter a closed fist."