DUBAI, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- A U.S. senior official said on Thursday that his country aligns with its "staunch allies the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia" over the threats posed by Iran to regional stability, UAE state news agency WAM reported.
The comments were made by Paul Ryan, the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, at a meeting at the Emirates Diplomatic Academy in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi.
"The U.S. sees eye to eye with the UAE and Saudi Arabia on the necessity of preventing Iran from extending its grip on other countries in the region," Ryan said, adding that his country has "identical views" of the two Gulf Arab states on the necessity of fighting sources of terrorism.
Earlier in the month, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan and Saudi Minister of Interior Abdulaziz Bin Saud Bin Nayefon discussed ways to enhance existing cooperation in the security and police fields, as well as the latest regional and international developments and issues of common concern.
On Dec. 4, the two Gulf Arab nations formed a joint committee to coordinate their policies in the political, military, economic and trade fields.
The UAE is part of a Saudi-led Arab coalition that has been fighting the Shiite Houthi rebels since March 2015 to support the internationally-recognized government led by President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.
The Saudi-led coalition accuses Iran of arming the Houthis, who have fired scores of ballistic missiles on Saudi troops and cities since the outbreak of hostilities.
