Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III's Call With Bahrain Crown Prince and Prime Minister Salman bin Hamad Al KhalifaJoint Statement From Secretary of Defense Lloyd J.[...]

Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder provided the following readout:

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III spoke on the phone today with Bahrain's Crown Prince and Prime Minister, His Royal Highness Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, to discuss the unprecedented attacks launched from Iranian territory and by Iran's proxies in the region into Israel. The Secretary emphasized that while the United States does not seek escalation, we will continue to defend Israel and U.S. personnel. The Secretary underscored the United States' commitment to the strong bilateral defense partnership with Bahrain and regional integration efforts.