Bahrain ‘a crucial US ally’

The strategic alliance between the Kingdom and the US was highlighted as the US Senate discussed the proposal to block arms sale to the Kingdom.

The US Senate rejected a longshot effort to block $300 million in arms sales to Bahrain, as the bill’s opponents stressed the island nation was a critical ally hosting an American naval base.

The effort, led by Republican Senator Rand Paul, failed as the US Senate voted 77 to 21 to table the measure, essentially killing it. Critics of the bill warned that punishment of Bahrain would be misplaced, especially as 7,800 US military personnel are deployed there on a base that hosts the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, which helps protect American interests in the region. Bahrain is strategically located between Saudi Arabia and Iran, they highlighted.