US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Bahrain on Thursday as part of a three-day regional tour aimed at securing Middle Eastern allies’ backing for the recent US-Iran agreement. His visit marks the final leg of the trip, during which he is presenting the terms of the deal to skeptical Gulf Arab partners and reassuring them of Washington’s commitment to their security interests.

Rubio acknowledged that introducing the peace agreement to Gulf leaders is a sensitive task. Many regional allies fear that excessive concessions to Tehran could strengthen Iran and disrupt the region’s security balance and oil flow. During his stay in Manama, Rubio is scheduled to meet with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), a bloc of six Sunni monarchies including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and Kuwait.

This mission represents the first high-level diplomatic engagement in the oil-rich Gulf region following last week’s US-Iran agreement, underscoring Washington’s effort to maintain regional stability and alliance confidence.