Obama's Turn to Pay Back the Gulf States

No matter how the White House describes it, President Barack Obama's meeting with King Salman of Saudi Arabia last week was about payback. The Saudis gave Obama what he wanted: a (tepid) endorsement of his nuclear pact with Iran. Now they and their Persian Gulf neighbors are looking for some concrete assurances that the deal won't imperil their safety.

Salman was a notable no-show when Obama had Gulf-state leaders to Camp David in May to sell them on the Iran deal. Those who did come pressed the president for a formal security treaty committing the U.S. to come to their defense if they were attacked. Obama demurred, as he had to: The U.S. is rightly wary of such binding deals, which would have to be approved by Congress. Instead, Obama gave vague reassurances of support and promised increased arms sales.