U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel on Thursday spoke by phone with United Arab Emirates Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahayan on his flight to Bahrain where is scheduled to deliver a speech at the Manama Dialogue. Hagel "underscored the U.S. commitment to the security of the United Arab Emirates and its allies and partners in the Gulf," according to a Pentagon statement. Hagel and the UAE Crown Prince discussed a range of "shared security challenges in the region, including Iran and Syria, and agreed to continue to cooperate closely on these and other mutual interests over the next several months." Hagel underscored the U.S. "commitment to preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. He also noted that the joint action plan recently agreed to between the P5+1 and Iran is "a first, good step towards advancing that commitment." "Secretary Hagel and the crown prince agreed to continue close consultation, " the statement noted.