U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Sunday that his country will be loyal to long time Middle East allies even while it tries to reach out to Iran. He is currently touring the region and made his comments in Egypt.

Gates said that the U.S. administration’s attempt to reach out to Iran may be met by “a close fist.” He emphasized that the attempts to reconcile with Iran “will not be at the expense of our long-term relationships with Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf states.”