Defence Secretary Robert Gates is on a delicate mission, seeking to reassure long-term US allies in the Persian Gulf region that efforts by ishington to reach out to Iran 11 not come at their expense. In fact, Gates told reporters accompanying him to the Mideast that the quest to bolster relations with Tehran most likely will be met. at least initially, byr a closed fist *

Gates on Monday was flying to Egypt, the first stop on a

Mideast tour that will include Saudi Arabia. He said part of his mission this week will be to assure the Saudis, particularly, that any US gesture toward Tehran will be for the purpose of improving security throughout the region.

Building diplomacy with Iran "will not be at the expense of our long-term relationships with Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf states that have been our partners and friends for decades," Gates told reporters aboard a military jet headed to Cairo.

"There's probably some concerns in the region that may draw on an exaggerated sense of what's possible, " the defence secretary said. "And I just think it’s important to reassure our friends and allies in the region that while 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."