Rubio Meets Bahrain Officials on Final Leg of Gulf Tour

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Bahrain's capital Manama on Wednesday night for meetings with local officials and the Gulf Cooperation Council on Thursday. The visit is the final stop of a three-day Gulf tour that marks the first high-level U.S. diplomatic mission since the framework agreement with Iran last week.

At earlier stops in Abu Dhabi on June 23 and Kuwait on June 24, Rubio told reporters the administration would not take steps that undermine the security of longstanding regional allies. He stated he would not ask Gulf governments to contribute to a proposed $300 billion reconstruction fund included in the draft accord. The draft agreement contains no limits on Iran's ballistic missiles.

Conflicting Accounts on Deal Terms U.S.

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Iran had agreed to nuclear inspections "into infinity," while Tehran disputed that claim. The two sides ended a first round of talks in Switzerland on Monday. Rubio's itinerary in Manama includes discussions with both Bahraini officials and the full GCC grouping, whose members are Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain.

Bahrain's Sunni monarchy rules a Shi'ite majority population.