Washington DC, June 26 -- The United States and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) on Thursday (local time) reaffirmed their strategic partnership at a ministerial meeting in Bahrain's Manama, underscoring their commitment to regional security, diplomacy with Iran, stability in Syria and Lebanon, and reconstruction efforts in Gaza.

The meeting was co-chaired by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, the current chairman of the GCC Ministerial Council, and attended by foreign ministers from GCC member states and GCC Secretary General Jasem Albudaiwi.

According to the joint statement, Secretary Rubio "reinforced the enduring US commitment to GCC security," while the ministers reaff...