Rubio to meet Bahrain officials and GCC as US seeks support for Iran accord

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio meets Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud at The Ritz-Carlton Bahrain during Rubio's visit to the Middle East to discuss the interim deal between the U.S. and Iran with Arab Gulf allies, in Manama, Bahrain, June 25, 2026. REUTERS/Eric Lee

MANAMA, Bahrain, June 25 — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet Bahrain officials on Thursday on the final leg of a Gulf tour aimed at promoting the Trump administration’s preliminary Iran accord to skeptical regional allies.

Rubio arrived in Manama on Wednesday night after stops in the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait.

He is also expected to meet the Gulf Cooperation Council, which includes Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait.

Rubio has sought to reassure Gulf officials that the proposed agreement would not undermine the security of U.S. allies in the region.

The U.S.-Iran framework agreement, reached last week, is intended to end the conflict, but Washington and Tehran have offered conflicting accounts of its terms, including on nuclear inspections, financial incentives, the Strait of Hormuz and regional security arrangements.

Source: Reuters