Gates focuses on Iran during Riyadh talks

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, April 6 (UPI) -- Iran was a "major focus" of conversations between U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and officials in Saudi Arabia, a Defense Department official said.

Gates arrived in Saudi Arabia to discuss bilateral military affairs with Saudi King Abdallah. The Pentagon said Riyadh is the top consumer of U.S. military hardware, though Defense Department spokesman Geoff Morrell said Iran was on the agenda for Gates.

"Clearly, whenever (the secretary) visits the Saudis or anyone else in the region," he said, "Iran will be a major focus of their conversation."

Iran is accused of meddling in the turmoil in nearby Bahrain after forces from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates entered the Sunni-led kingdom under the auspices of the Gulf Cooperation Council.

The minority Sunni leadership in Bahrain is struggling to control mounting frustration from the country's Shiite majority. Tehran is also accused of meddling in Iraqi politics last year as lawmakers in Baghdad struggled to form a new unity government.

The American Forces Press Services, within the Department of Defense, quoted an unnamed senior Pentagon official as saying Tehran was attempting to exploit political unrest in the Middle East.

"And our eyes are wide open about that," the official added.