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MANAMA,
Bahrain—The
commander of US naval forces in the Persian Gulf said he
takes “deadly seriously” an encounter last week with
Iranian speedboats in the Strait of Hormuz, White House
spokesman Dana Perino said.
Vice
Admiral Kevin Cosgriff, head of the Fifth Fleet,
discussed the January 6 incident with President George
W. Bush Sunday during a meeting in Bahrain. Cosgriff
gave his account of the incident to the President,
Perino said.
The
standoff came days before Bush left
Washington
for a trip to the Middle East to bolster support from
Gulf Arab oil-producing allies, including Saudi Arabia,
Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, on Iran. The
incident prompted the White House to caution
Iran
to avoid “provocative actions.”
The US
called the Iranian conduct threatening, while Iran has
characterized it as a routine request for
identification. The US said one of its ships was on the
verge of firing before the Iranians broke off. The US
Navy later said the threats may not have come from the
Iranian speedboats that approached them, but rather from
another ship in the area or someone on shore.
Bush’s
meeting with Cosgriff came midway through a swing
through the Middle East, where Bush is shoring up
oil-exporting allies wary of Iran and concerned about
the US’s staying power in Iraq.
Bush
last week said he would consider slowing the pace of
troop withdrawal in Iraq to help stabilize the country,
though he also said progress is being made there
militarily and politically. He cited as one sign of
progress the fact that the Iraqi Parliament passed a
bill that would allow some former officials from Saddam
Hussein’s party to fill government positions.
“It’s an
important step toward reconciliation,” Bush said in
Bahrain. “It’s an important sign that the leaders in
that country must work together to meet the aspirations
of the Iraqi people.”
Later in
the day, Bush arrived in
Abu Dhabi
amid rain. (Bloomberg) |
