Lloyd Austin welcomes Bahrain’s Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad to Pentagon

US secretary of defence and Prince Salman discussed Ukraine and Iran

US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin met Bahrain’s Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad at the Pentagon on Wednesday.

He welcomed Prince Salman, who also serves as Bahrain’s prime minister, with an honour cordon.

The Russian invasion in Ukraine was at the top of the leaders' agenda.

“Russia’s unprovoked and unjust invasion of Ukraine is on everyone’s mind,” Mr Lloyd said during the meeting with Prince Salman as the conflict entered its seventh day.

“There is no doubt in my mind that the international world order that was established after World War II and has guaranteed the peace for so many decades is at its most fragile as we sit here today,” the crown prince said.

Mr Lloyd and Prince Salman also discussed other threats, including “Iran’s support for terrorism and its illicit supply of weapons across the region".

Last month, Israel and Bahrain signed a defence agreement as part of a show of co-operation aimed at sending a message to Iran.

“And of course, we remain committed to preventing Iran from gaining a nuclear weapon,” Mr Lloyd said on the issue.

Talks on reviving the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers continue in Vienna, with the US saying time is running out to reach an agreement.

AP contributed to this report