US Secretary of State in Bahrain for latest stop in reassurance tour
Today, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will meet with Bahraini leaders in Manama to discuss regional security with a focus on counterterrorism. This will be Pompeo’s fifth stop in his tour across the Middle East in a bid to reassure Arab partners that the US remains committed to the Middle East.
Last month US President Donald Trump announced that ISIS was defeated and as such American troops will immediately withdraw from Syria. While ISIS is crippled and no longer holds any major towns in Syria, it is reasserting itself as a regional insurgent group. Their funnelling of money to Arab countries through Iraqi businesses suggests the extremist group is establishing cells.
The military void left by US troops gives Iran an opportunity to gain a further foothold in Syria. With a $6 billion loan to Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad, Iran has demonstrated that it sees Syria as it means to expand its regionals influence. In response to these fears, Pompeo has stated that the US remains committed to building strong Arab partnerships to politically isolate Iran in the region.
Expect discussion of how to further counter Iran to dominate the talks.
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