Britain to boost military presence in Persian Gulf
Britain has signed a deal with Bahrain that will bolster the United Kingdom's military presence in the island nation and give it permanent naval base in the oil-rich Persian Gulf region, officials announced Saturday.
The agreement marks a strategic shift for Britain, which formally withdrew from its major Gulf military bases in 1971. It comes as the UK, the United States and their allies seek to push back Islamic State group militants that have taken over large parts of Iraq and Syria and as world powers work to forge a lasting nuclear deal with Iran, which sits just across the Gulf from Bahrain.
