WORLD BRIEFING / EGYPT

The top U.S. Defense official cautioned that the Obama administration’s quest to bolster relations with Iran would not come at the expense of long-standing ties in the region.

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, who arrived in Cairo and will travel on to Saudi Arabia, said part of his mission would be to assure Mideast allies that any U.S. gesture toward Tehran will be for the purpose of improving security throughout the region.

He acknowledged that there are probably “concerns in the region that may draw on an exaggerated sense of what’s possible,” but said building diplomacy with Iran “will not be at the expense of our long-term relationships with Saudi Arabia and the other [Persian] Gulf states that have been our partners and friends for decades.”

Gates told reporters: “We’re willing to reach out to the Iranians, as the president said, with an open hand. I think everybody in the administration, from the president on down, is pretty realistic and will be pretty tough-minded if we still encounter a closed fist.”