Leaders of Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, UAE and Bahrain meet

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi met on Monday with the leaders of Iraq, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, as world powers and Iran seek to end 16 months of negotiations over the revival of Tehran's landmark nuclear deal.

The five-party talks focused on consolidating ties and cooperation between their countries, according to an Egyptian statement which described the gathering as a "frontal meeting."Many of the Gulf nations - Saudi Arabia, in particular - have grave concerns about Iran's activity in the region. They fear that reviving the 2015 deal would include economic relief for Tehran's hard-line regime, allowing it to expand its meddling in their internal affairs.There were also talks recently between Iran and Egypt as both governments explored ways to ease decades-long tension.