Iran and Bahrain; same old story...

[GRG55]

How many of you are aware that the US Navy Fifth Fleet headquarters are in a tiny Gulf kingdom called Bahrain? Ever wonder why?

Iran's claims snubbed

MANAMA Manama: Yemen and Tunisia yesterday expressed their solidarity with Bahrain over Iran's claims of sovereignty over the kingdom even as Iran's Deputy Oil Minister Syed Reza Kassai said his country had not received any official statement on halting talks over gas imports. In a telephone conversation with His Majesty King Hamad, Yemeni President Ali Abdulla Saleh stressed the kingdom's status as a sovereign and an independent state, rejecting Iran's claims as irresponsible. An official at the Tunisian foreign ministry said it regretted such claims by Tehran. He also indicated the need for harmony among countries in the region to help reinforce co-operation and brotherly ties to provide stability. Earlier, Oil Minister and National Oil and Gas Authority chairman Dr Abdulhussain Mirza told Zajil Press Bahrain had suspended gas negotiations with Iran and the Bahraini team in Tehran was ordered to return. Separately, Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry issued a statement denouncing Iran's claims...

[Guest]

Re: Iran and Bahrain; same old story...

How extraordinarily bumbling of the Iranians. Every time I start to conclude they are subtle and masterful players of the geopolitical game they go and do incredibly inept things like this evidencing a nation that remains curiously naive and crude at maneouvering to gain political consensus and preeminence in the gulf. They have the size and heft as a nation to project a lot of influence in the region, but their geopolitical interventions sometimes just appear unbelievably crude. To press sovereignty claims against a gulf neighbor, after Saddam invaded Kuwait claiming to annex it - and being the sole fully Shia nation among Sunnis in the region? What the heck are these guys playing at?