CAIRO: The US military chief has met with Egypt s president at the start of a Middle East tour that Arab media reports say is focused on concerns about Iran s nuclear program.
The predominantly Sunni Arab Middle East has been wary of the growing influence of Shia Iran, especially because of international suspicions that its nuclear program has a military dimension.
US military officials said last month that the United States was strengthening its missile defenses in Arab nations in the Gulf region to guard against any Iranian missile strike.
Egypt s state news agency says President Hosni Mubarak met with Adm. Mike Mullen on Sunday. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff was scheduled to travel later in the day to Israel. -AP
