Trump meets Bahrain’s crown prince at White House, signs nuclear energy deal with ‘fantastic ally’

US President Donald Trump held a meeting with Bahrain Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa at the White House on Wednesday (Jul 16). The United States have signed a nuclear energy deal with the Gulf nation, paving the way for the two nations to enter into a formal civilian-nuclear cooperation agreement. The prince, who is also Bahrain’s prime minister, vowed $17 billion worth of investments in the US. This comes as Trump seeks to ramp up efforts to enhance global energy security. Recently, the US president also visited Bahrain.

“We’ve had a tremendous relationship, I have personally, with Bahrain over the years, and it has been a fantastic ally,” Trump told reporters alongside the Bahraini delegation ahead of talks in the Oval Office.

At the signing ceremony with his Bahraini counterpart Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the accord was an example that the United States is willing to work with any nation that wants a civil nuclear energy programme “not geared toward weaponisation or threatening the security of their neighbours.”

Rubio was referring to Iran, which the US and Israel have accused of trying to produce a nuclear weapon. After the escalations between Israel and Iran last month, the US bombed Iranian nuclear facilities on June 22, joining Tel Aviv in its 12-day military operations against Tehran.

During the meeting with the Crown Prince Salman Hamad bin Issa Al Khalifa, the US president discussed Middle East security issues and economic cooperation.

Bahrain, a close ally of the US, serves as the base for the US Navy’s 5th Fleet. The nation is also a part of the so-called Abraham Accords, which were signed during Trump’s first term in the White House. Under the agreements, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Sudan, and Bahrain established formal diplomatic relations with Israel.