Bush visits US Fifth Fleet amid Iran tensions
Updated: 2008-01-13 15:58
MANAMA -- President George W. Bush on Sunday visited the US Navy's Fifth Fleet amid new tensions with Iran over an incident in which the United States says its ships were harassed in the Strait of Hormuz.
 US President George W. Bush dines with US military personnel on a naval base in Bahrain January 13, 2008. Bahrain, a close US ally, hosts the US Fifth Fleet. [Agencies] |
Bush entered a mess hall at the sprawling Naval complex in Bahrain to loud applause and shouted "good morning" to sailors, Marines and soldiers assembled for breakfast.
Bush joined the chow line, picking up some pancakes with syrup and bacon, then sat down with military personnel to eat breakfast.
Bush visited Bahrain, which hosts the Fifth Fleet, on the second stop in his tour of US-allied Arab states aimed in part at rallying support against Iran.
Bush's visit came amid heightened tensions over a US-Iranian naval incident in the Gulf a week earlier.
Washington says its warships were threatened by Iranian craft in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for crude oil shipments from the world's biggest producing region.
Tehran dismissed it as a routine contact and accused the United States of exaggerating for propaganda purposes.
Bush discussed the Strait of Hormuz incident with Vice Adm. Kevin Cosgriff, the commander of the Fifth Fleet, who made clear that his forces took it "deadly seriously," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino told reporters traveling with Bush.
"All of the people in the military remember what's happened in the past such as the USS Cole," she said, referring to the deadly attack on the warship in Yemen in 2000.
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