Bahrain To Host Working Group On Maritime Security In Mideast Amid Alleged Iran Threats

Bahrain will soon be hosting a number of countries in a working group meeting on maritime and aviation security in the Mideast region, a State Department spokesperson told Sputnik on Wednesday

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th July, 2019) Bahrain will soon be hosting a number of countries in a working group meeting on maritime and aviation security in the Mideast region, a State Department spokesperson told Sputnik on Wednesday.

Tensions between the United States and Iran have escalated after the collapse of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), a US military buildup in the middle East, and alleged Iranian attacks against commercial tankers in the Persian Gulf region.

"Bahrain will host a working group meeting on maritime and aviation security as part of the follow-on process from the Warsaw Ministerial in February," the spokesperson said. "All countries that attended the Warsaw Ministerial will be invited to participate. We will be announcing more information about all of the Warsaw Process working groups soon."

In February, delegates from more than 60 countries met in Warsaw for a ministerial meeting on global security, where attendees claimed Iran posed one of the greatest security threats in the region.

Iran along with Russia and Turkey were not among the participants.

Washington expressed concerns about Tehran shutting down the Strait of Hormuz and its role and influence in Syria, Iran, and Yemen.

The United States was close to undertaking military action against Iran after a US drone was shot down by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps, but Trump has repeatedly said he is open for talks with the Iranian leadership without any preconditions.

On the anniversary of US President Donald Trump's pullout from the nuclear agreement, Iran announced it had partially discontinued its commitments under the accord. Iran has also announced that, starting on July 7, it would begin enriching uranium beyond the 3.67 percent limit outlined in the nuclear agreement and stop the process of repurposing its nuclear reactor in Arak.

Iran has rejected all accusations by the United States and accused Washington of trying to fabricate a pretext for war.