Informed sources say the administration of US President Donald Trump has been quietly pushing ahead with a plan to create a NATO-like security and political alliance between Arab countries to confront Iran despite deep divisions among the Persian Gulf Arab states.
Prior to Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia last year, reports said President Trump was expected to lay out his vision for what White House officials called an “Arab NATO,” comprised of six Persian Gulf Arab countries, Egypt and Jordan.
The United States would play an organizing and supporting role while staying outside the anti-Iran alliance, the reports added.
On Saturday, American and Arab officials said that the Trump administration hoped to raise the plan at a summit provisionally scheduled in Washington in mid-October.
The White House also confirmed that it was working on the project, tentatively known as the Middle East Strategic Alliance (MESA).
“MESA will serve as a…