The United States and Bahrain signed an agreement on Wednesday to strengthen security and economic relations between the two countries. A few years ago, the United States announced an arms embargo against the Gulf monarchy.
The agreement provides for intelligence exchange, scientific exchanges, and economic cooperation between the United States and Bahrain, which hosts the US Fifth Fleet and has tense relations with Iran.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said during the signing ceremony in Washington alongside Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, that the agreement should allow “better cooperation to respond to threats when they arise.”
Safety risks
The two countries will also cooperate on “trusted technologies,” a reference to equipment, often Chinese, that Washington considers a security risk.
Bahrain, a small kingdom ruled by a Sunni family, was the target of an arms embargo imposed by Barack Obama after the suppression of protests led by Shiite parties following the 2011 Arab Spring.
The Trump administration subsequently resumed talks with Manama, particularly due to the normalization of relations with Israel from 2020.
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