Manama: The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states and the United States have agreed to build a regional missile defence architecture, Bahrain's foreign minister has said.
Details of the agreement and the final decision by the six members of the Gulf alliance and the US will be taken in June, Shaikh Khalid Bin Ahmad Al Khalifa said in remarks published by Japanese newspaper Asahi on Friday and reported by Russian news agency Ria Novosti.
Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE are negotiating with the US over the issue, the minister said. The missile shield will help protect oil wells and ports in the region from possible Iranian attacks.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton last Saturday promoted the missile shield idea at the first Strategic Cooperation Forum between the GCC and the US.
US officials say that helping the GCC states build a "regional missile defense architecture" against possible ballistic missile threat from Iran is their priority. On Wednesday, Iranian Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi warned the GCC states not to adopt the missile shield project.
