Obama phones Saudi king on Iran deal

President Obama phoned King Salman of Saudi Arabia on Tuesday to discuss the nuclear agreement with Iran.

Obama spoke with Salman while traveling in Philadelphia to make a speech at the NAACP national conference, White House press secretary Josh Earnest said.

{mosads}Saudi Arabia and other U.S. allies in the Persian Gulf have reacted warily to the deal with Iran, which would curb its nuclear program in exchange for lifting international sanctions.

Gulf nations worry billions of dollars in sanctions relief will embolden their Shiite rival and allow it to boost its influence in the Middle East.

Obama also called Crown Prince Mohammed Al Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates and said the deal “will verifiably prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.”

He also said the U.S. “is as committed as ever to working with our Gulf partners to counter Iran’s destabilizing activities in the region, support our partners in building their defense capabilities, and pursue together efforts to resolve the region’s crises.”

In May, Obama convened a summit of Gulf state allies designed to reassure their security concerns amid negotiations over the nuclear pact.  

The leaders agreed to accelerated arms sales and new counterterrorism partnerships. But the announcements fell short of demands from some Gulf nations that wanted the U.S. put security commitments in writing as part of a mutual defense treaty.