Security advisors of U.S., Saudi, UAE meet to counter Iran

WASHINGTON, March 26 (Xinhua) -- The White House said on Monday that national security advisors of the United States, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) met at the White House Friday to discuss joint efforts to counter the "Iranian regime's malign influence and provocative behavior."

The White House said in a statement that security officials of the three nations talked about issues of strategic importance to the three countries.

It added that senior officials from the U.S. Departments of State, Defense, the Treasury and the intelligence community participated in the meeting.

The leaders agreed to meet trilaterally on a regular basis to develop and implement joint frameworks to mitigate threats to regional security and to bring greater peace, stability and prosperity to the Middle East, it added.

"Additionally, the National Security Advisor of Afghanistan joined a session focused on discussing ways the United States, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates can partner with Afghanistan to support the Afghan government and set conditions for an enduring peace settlement," said the White House.

Also on Friday, the United States sanctioned an Iranian entity and 10 individuals over "malicious cyber-enabled activities," saying the hackers worked at the behest of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Iranian Foreign Ministry said on Saturday that the U.S. measures were "illegal and provocative," proving the U.S. inherent hostility against Tehran.

It also condemned Saudi Arabia's allegations that Iran "is the source of terror and extremism," saying that Saudi Arabia itself was the "essential source and cause of terrorism and extremism." Enditem