US official visits Bahrain after commander’s death

MANAMA

U.S. Vice Chief of Naval Operations Admiral William Francis Moran held talks in Manama on Tuesday with Bahraini Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa.

Tuesday’s visit is the first by a U.S. military official since the death of U.S. 5th Fleet Commander Vice Adm. Scott Stearney, who was found dead in his residence in Manama last week.

The talks between Moran and Salman tackled all aspects of cooperation and means of enhancing naval security, the official Bahrain News Agency reported.

During the meeting, the Bahrain crown prince stressed the long-lasting and solid ties between Bahrain and the U.S. in various fields, the agency said.

On Monday, Moran met with Bahrain’s Coast Guard Commander Brigadier Alaa Abdullah Siyadi and visited Marine Operations Center in the kingdom.

Bahrain hosts the U.S. Fifth Fleet, which includes Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden, Red Sea and parts of the Indian Ocean. The U.S. fleet is located in AlJuffair, eastern Bahrain.

Securing the transformation of oil supplies through the Gulf region’s territorial waters is one of the main tasks of the U.S. Fifth Fleet.