Kerry from Egypt: ’No Question’ That Iran Deal Will Make Region Safer

Monday, 3 August 2015

Kerry from Egypt: ’No Question’ That Iran Deal Will Make Region Safer

US Secretary of State John Kerry said Sunday there was "no question" the Iran nuclear deal will make the Middle East safer if implemented.

Kerry met Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry in the morning and was to later meet President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi before flying to Qatar to meet Gulf Arab counterparts.

US Secretary of State John Kerry

"There can be absolutely no question that if the Vienna plan is fully implemented, it will make Egypt and all the countries of this region safer than they otherwise would be or were," Kerry told a Cairo press conference after meeting Shoukry.

"The United States and Egypt recognize that Iran is engaged in destabilizing activities in the region -- and that is why it is so important to ensure that Iran's nuclear program remains wholly peaceful," he said.

"If Iran is destabilizing, it is far, far better to have an Iran that doesn’t have a nuclear weapon than one that does."

Kerry's trip, which ends on August 8, will not include the Zionist entity, one of Washington's closest allies, which has been a fierce critic of the July 14 nuclear deal between the world powers and Iran.

In Doha, Kerry will meet his counterparts from the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states.

He will seek to “allay their fears” about Iran, following the nuclear deal signed in Vienna.