The U.S. Navy is leading a 30-nation maritime exercise across Middle Eastern waters which it says will help protect international trade routes against possible threats, including from Islamic State and al Qaeda.
The exercise, which is partly being held in the Gulf, comes as tensions run high between Gulf Arab countries and Iran over its role in the region, including its support for President Bashar al-Assad in Syria’s civil war, for the Houthis in the Yemen conflict and for Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The International Mine Countermeasures Exercise (IMCMEX) started on Monday (April 4) with a symposium in Bahrain where the U.S Navy’s Fifth Fleet is based, in part as a bulwark against Iran.
Vice Adm. Kevin Donegan, commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, said on Saturday (April 9) the exercise was designed to stop militants from causing disruption to shipping as, “All could potentially have capabilities to reach out into the maritime domain.”
“To the course of the exercise participants are going to train on wide spectrum of defensive operations designed to protect international commerce and trade consisting of mine counter-measures but also maritime security and maritime infrastructure protection,” Donegan said.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry had praised security cooperation with Bahrain on Thursday (April 7) during a visit to the Gulf monarchy calling it a “critical security partner”.
U.S. President Barack Obama will attend a summit in Riyadh on April 21 with the Gulf Cooperation Council states – Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain – on Iran’s role in the region.
