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Obama convenes Camp David summit with Gulf state leaders

President Barack Obama, right, and Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Emir of the State of Kuwait, turn enter the White House as as Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, arrives at the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, May 13, 2015. Gulf nation leaders gathered in Washington to warn President Barack Obama of the risks of completing a nuclear deal with Iran. Obama will try to convince them of the potential benefits for the region. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) President Barack Obama, right, and Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Emir of the State of Kuwait, turn enter the White House as as Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, arrives at the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, May 13, 2015. Gulf nation leaders gathered in Washington to warn President Barack Obama of the risks of completing a nuclear deal with Iran. Obama will try to convince them of the potential benefits for the region. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

By Associated Press May 14, 2015 1 min read

WASHINGTON (AP) – President Barack Obama and leaders from six Gulf nations are trying to work through tensions sparked by the U.S. bid for a nuclear deal with Iran, a pursuit that has put regional partners on edge.

Obama is seeking to reassure the Gulf leaders gathering at Camp David that U.S. overtures to Iran would not come at the expense of commitments to their security. He is expected to offer them more military assistance, including increased joint exercises and coordination on ballistic missile systems.

But when Thursday’s meetings at the presidential retreat in the Maryland mountains conclude, it’s unlikely Obama will have fully assuaged the Gulf’s deep-seated fear of Iranian meddling in the region.