US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has called for tighter defence integration among Gulf Arab states in response to Iran, part of efforts to encourage moderation by Israel by dangling the prospect of better ties with the region, AFP reports.

It is Blinken’s first trip to the region since the long shadow war between Israel and Iran broke out into the open, with tit-for-tat exchanges between the countries earlier this month.

“This attack highlights the acute and growing threat from Iran but also the imperative that we work together on integrated defence,” Blinken told Gulf Cooperation Council ministers meeting in Riyadh.

Blinken said the United States would hold talks in the coming weeks with the six-nation bloc on integrating air and missile defence and boosting maritime security.

The diplomat said that the region had a choice on its future, including “one ridden with divisions and destruction and violence and permanent instability”. Gulf Arab states, through their meeting with the United States, were choosing “greater integration” and “greater peace”, he said.