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 The U.S. defense secretary, speaking at a regional security forum,
acknowledged Gulf leaders' concerns about the direction of U.S.
policy in the Middle East, especially negotiations on Iran's nuclear
program. But he said the U.S. emphasis on diplomacy should not be
misinterpreted.
"We know diplomacy cannot operate in a vacuum," Hagel said. "Our
success will continue to hinge on America's military power, and the
credibility of our assurances to our allies and partners in the
Middle East."
Hagel's remarks to the Manama Dialogue in Bahrain came at a time of
heightened tension with Washington's longtime Gulf Arab partners.
Leaders in the region fear that the United States will lose focus on
the Middle East as it strategically rebalances to Asia. They also
are frustrated by the U.S. response to the Arab Spring protests and
the Syrian civil war.
In particular, the United States distanced itself from Saudi
Arabia's decision to send forces to help Bahrain's Sunni Muslim
ruler put down protests by the island's majority Shi'ites in 2011.
Washington has also irritated Gulf powers with its cautious approach
in backing rebels fighting to oust Syrian President Bashar al Assad,
informed by concern over divisions among the disparate groups and a
reluctance to bring Islamist militants to power.
EFFORTS AND FEARS
In Manama, Hagel said that, while the United States would continue
to provide aid to Syrian refugees and the neighboring countries of
Jordan and Turkey, the rise of violent extremism in Syria had to be
addressed.
"We will continue to work with partners throughout the region to
help bring about a political settlement to end this conflict," Hagel
said, calling for efforts to ensure that aid for the opposition
"does not fall into the wrong hands".
Hagel said an interim agreement that six world powers reached with
Iran over its disputed nuclear enrichment program had "not
diminished our focus on the challenges posed by Iran", which has
long vied with the Gulf Arabs for regional dominance.
"Iran has been a profoundly destabilizing influence, and a
nuclear-armed Iran would pose an unacceptable threat to regional and
global stability," the U.S. defense chief said.
He said the accord "bought time for meaningful negotiation, not for
deception", and that U.S. diplomacy would ultimately be backed up by
the military commitments and cooperation it has with its regional
partners.
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A former Iranian nuclear negotiator, Hossein Mousavian, now a
visiting scholar at Princeton University in the United States, asked
Hagel from the floor why he had not mentioned Israel in his speech
when, he said, it possessed 400 nuclear weapons. Israel is widely
believed to have the Middle East's only atomic arsenal, though it
will not comment on the issue.
Hagel did not mention Israel in his reply, noting that Iran was in
violation of many U.N. resolutions and the world was "very
clear-eyed" about the implementation of the interim deal.
UNDERSCORING COMMITMENT
Hagel outlined the array of American military forces in the region,
including more than 35,000 military personnel "in and immediately
around the Gulf." Included in that figure were 10,000 Army soldiers
with tanks, artillery and helicopters.
He said the United States had deployed its most advanced fighter
jets in the region, including the radar-evading F-22.
More than 40 U.S. Navy vessels patrol the waters nearby, including
an aircraft carrier and its supporting warships, Hagel said. U.S.
Navy ships have steamed through the narrow Strait of Hormuz at the
mouth of the gulf some 50 times in the past six months in the name
of ensuring freedom of navigation.
"As America emerges from a long period of war, it will not shirk its
responsibilities," Hagel said, citing decades of U.S. involvement in
the Middle East. "America's commitment to this region is proven. And
it is enduring."
Hagel also cited the U.S. military facilities in the region,
including the headquarters of its Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, where the
Pentagon has a $580 million expansion program under way, and a
combined air operations center in Qatar.
He proposed new steps to improve security cooperation, including
regular discussions of missile defense with the region's air chiefs
and allowing the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council to purchase
U.S. defense systems as an organization, to encourage regional
cooperation.
(Additional reporting by William Maclean; Reporting by David
Alexander; editing by Michael Perry and Ken Wills)
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