Mullen: relationships with Gulf states are “vital”

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen reported that he met with several defense chiefs from Persian Gulf nations today and offered his thoughts on the meeting.

He tweeted:

Met with gulf state chiefs of defense today. We are dependent on these relationships. Their view of us and their neighborhood vital.

Mullen’s comments come at a time of great instability in the region headlined by the social unrest following the Iranian presidential elections. Before political protests broke out in Iran, the Persian Gulf states were wary that a nuclear Iran could upset the balance of power in the region.

The Defense Department’s press office could not confirm which states’ representatives Mullen met with today.