Iran repeatedly has said its nuclear program is not aiming to make an atomic bomb.
Bahrain, which hosts the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet, is one of several Sunni-led Arab countries said to be fearful of a nuclear-armed Iran.
At a public forum in July, United Arab Emirates Ambassador to the U.S. Yousef al-Otaiba said: "If you are asking me, 'Am I willing to live with [the fallout from a preventive strike on Iran] versus living with a nuclear Iran,' my answer is still the same: We cannot live with a nuclear Iran." The UAE Foreign Ministry immediately claimed that his comments had been taken out of context and that the country rejects the military option.
"This is the game," said Toby Jones, professor of Middle East history at Rutgers University. "The Bahrainis — like the Saudis, like the Kuwaitis — are attempting to balance a couple of things.
"One is to maintain the correct diplomatic posture with the Iranians and to concede on technicalities where the Iranians are in the right, while at the same time making clear periodically that the Iranians are up to no good — and then subsequently denying it.
"But essentially, it's like asking the jury to disregard an unacceptable comment in the courtoom. You can't strike it from the record."
Mr. Jones, who served as a Bahrain-based consultant for the International Crisis Group from 2003 to 2006, said he found the Foreign Ministry statement more interesting for what it did not say.
"They didn't correct or place into context her implication that Iran has its eye on Bahrain," he said. "That seems like a pretty significant oversight."
"It wasn't too long ago that the Iranians routinely made claims on Bahrain," said Steven A. Cook, senior fellow for Middle Eastern Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. "Iran's ability to throw its weight around the region is a major cause for concern for Bahrain and a reason why it has been willing to host the 5th Fleet."
"That said, the Bahrainis — like all the small Gulf states — have been careful to hedge their bets, given that they are not at all clear about Washington's intentions and policies," he said. "They don't trust 'engagement' and after Iraq, they aren't convinced that the United States has the will to undertake military action. That's why the Foreign Ministry walked the ambassador's comments back."
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