Yemen Monitor/Washington/Agencies:
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with his Bahraini counterpart, Rashid Al Zayani, in Washington on Wednesday.
The US State Department said that the two ministers discussed “the two countries’ shared commitment to protecting maritime security and freedom of navigation against Houthi threats, and the shared commitment to peace.”
Bahrain was the only Arab country to join the US-led military coalition against the Houthis in late 2023. Since mid-March, the Trump administration has been waging a relentless bombing campaign against Houthi-controlled areas, where it says it is targeting group leaders and weapons depots.
The Yemeni group has been launching attacks against shipping lanes in the Red Sea and the Israeli occupation in a campaign that the Houthis say aims to pressure for an end to the war on Gaza, while their opponents say their goals are internal.
The US State Department reported that Rubio and Al Zayani discussed the 2020 agreements that established formal normalization relations between Israel and several Arab countries, including Bahrain. Notably, the US statement did not mention Gaza.
The meeting coincided with a phone call between Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. Pezeshkian’s office reported that the two leaders affirmed cooperation between their countries.
