WASHINGTON: The Trump administration is quietly pushing ahead with a bid tocreate a new security and political alliance with six Gulf Arab states,Egypt and Jordan, in part to counter Iran´s expansion in the region,according to U.S. and Arab officials.

The White House wants to see deeper cooperation between the countries onmissile defense, military training, counter-terrorism and other issues suchas strengthening regional economic and diplomatic ties, four sources said.

The plan to forge what officials in the White House and Middle East havecalled an “Arab NATO” of Sunni Muslim allies will likely raise tensionsbetween the United States and Shi´ite Iran, two countries increasingly atodds since President Donald Trump took office.

The administration´s hope is that the effort, tentatively known as theMiddle East Strategic Alliance (MESA), might be discussed at a summitprovisionally scheduled for Washington on Oct. 12-13, several sources said.

The White House confirmed it was working on the concept of the alliancewith “our regional partners now and have been for several months.”

Saudi officials raised the idea of a security pact ahead of a Trump visitlast year to Saudi Arabia where he announced a massive arms deal, but thealliance proposal did not get off the ground, a U.S. source said.

Sources from some of the Arab countries involved also said they were awareof renewed efforts to activate the plan.