DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The US known as Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates “main safety companions” early Saturday, a beforehand exceptional designation for the 2 nations residence to main American navy operations.
A White Home assertion tied the designation to Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates normalizing ties to Israel, saying it “displays their extraordinary braveness, dedication and management.” It additionally famous the 2 nations lengthy have taken half in U.S. navy workouts.
It is unclear what the designation means for Bahrain, an island kingdom off Saudi Arabia within the Persian Gulf, and the UAE, a federation of seven sheikhdoms residence to Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
Bahrain is residence to the U.S. Navy’s fifth Fleet, whereas the UAE’s Jebel Ali port is the busiest port of name for American warships exterior of the U.S. Bahrain hosts some 5,000 American troops, whereas the UAE hosts 3,500, many at Al-Dhafra Air Base.
Already, the U.S. makes use of the designation of “main non-NATO ally” to explain its relationship with Kuwait, which hosts the ahead command of U.S. Military Central. That designation grants a rustic particular monetary and navy concerns for nations not a part of NATO. Bahrain is also a non-NATO ally.
The U.S. navy’s Central Command and the Pentagon didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark. The fifth Fleet referred queries to the State Division, which didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
The White Home designation comes within the ultimate days of President Donald Trump’s administration. Trump solid shut ties to Gulf Arab nations throughout his time in workplace partially over his hard-line stance on Iran. That is sparked a collection of escalating incidents between the nations after Trump unilaterally withdrew from Iran’s nuclear take care of world powers.
It additionally comes after Bahrain and the UAE joined Egypt and Saudi Arabia in starting to resolve a yearslong boycott of Qatar, one other Gulf Arab nation residence to Al-Udeid Air Base that hosts Central Command’s ahead working base. That boycott started within the early days of Trump’s time in workplace after he visited Saudi Arabia on his first overseas journey.
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Observe Jon Gambrell on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jongambrellAP.
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