US President Barack Obama says what threatens the Arab governments is the increasing dissatisfaction inside their countries, not the growing influence of Iran in the region.

“The biggest threats that they [Arab counties] face may not be coming from Iran invading. It’s going to be from dissatisfaction inside their own countries,” Obama said in an interview with the New York Times on Sunday.

The US president referred to internal problems in the Arab countries, including "alienated populations" and "youth underemployment."

“Part of our job is to work with these states and say, ‘How can we build your defense capabilities against external threats, but also, how can we strengthen the body politic in these countries… That’s a tough conversation to have, but it’s one that we have to have,” Obama said.

The president announced last week that he would meet with the leaders of the [Persian] Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain, at his Camp David retreat outside Washington this spring.

World leaders and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif following nuclear talks in Switzerland on April 2, 2015. (AFP Photo)

President Obama said he also wanted to discuss with the Arab allies how to build more effective defense capabilities.

The president also said the Arab countries needed to be more active in addressing regional crises.

“I can send a message to them about the US’s commitments to work with them and ensure that they are not invaded from the outside, and that perhaps will ease some of their concerns and allow them to have a more fruitful conversation with the Iranians,” he said.

In February, Arab countries, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE joined Israel in opposing US efforts to reach an agreement with Iran over its nuclear energy program, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

On April 2, a framework agreement was reached between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries – the US, Britain, France, China, Russia and Germany -- after eight days of marathon talks in the Swiss city of Lausanne.

Iran and the world powers issued a joint statement, saying that no Iranian nuclear facility will be shut down and that Iran will continue with its nuclear activities in all its nuclear facilities, including Natanz, Fordow, Isfahan and Arak.

Obama also described the nuclear negotiations with Iran as “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see whether or not we can at least take the nuclear issue off the table.”

By Press TV