RIYADH: The US-Gulf Cooperation Council Defense Working Group held its third meeting in Riyadh on Wednesday, focusing on confronting the increasing threats posed by Iran in the region, the Saudi Press Agency reported. The group consisted of a senior US delegation led by Robert Malley, special envoy for Iran, and representatives from GCC countries. The meeting reaffirmed the long-standing partnership between the US and the GCC countries, and their commitment to achieving regional security and stability through their strategic partnership. The parties denounced Tehran’s ongoing destabilizing policies, such as its support for terrorism and the use and deployment of advanced missiles, cyber weapons, and unmanned aircraft systems in the region and around the world. Participants also expressed grave concerns about Iran’s increased military engagement, citing its continued supply of conventional weapons, advanced missiles, and unmanned aircraft systems to the Houthis in Yemen. They added that Iran’s continued production of such weapons posed a serious security threat to the region and the world as a whole. The two sides said that the development of Iran’s nuclear program, as documented by the International Atomic Energy Agency, particularly the production of highly enriched uranium, had outpaced the country’s civilian needs and was a source of dangerous escalation of regional and international tensions.  They urged Iran to immediately cease nuclear provocations, engage in serious diplomatic processes, and fully cooperate with the IAEA’s investigations into nuclear material particles discovered at undeclared sites in the country. The US reaffirmed President Joe Biden’s pledge not to allow Iran to obtain nuclear weapons. The working group expressed its commitment to expanding defense cooperation between the two sides to counter Iranian threats, while saying that diplomacy was the preferred method for dealing with Tehran’s policies. It also urged the international community to follow through on all relevant Security Council resolutions prohibiting such sales of weapons and nuclear materials.