Bahrain may not have the wealth or size of Saudi Arabia, but the tiny nation's clout is bolstered by hosting the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet. A 2009 cable from a US diplomat makes it clear that Bahrain was hoping the US would take out Iran’s nuclear program, calling “forcefully for taking action to terminate [Iran’s] nuclear program, by whatever means necessary.” That demand is attributed in the cable to Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa.
While Bahrain is a Shiite-majority country, its Sunni minority holds the top political positions and is treated more favorably – fueling the Arab world's divide between Sunni- and Shiite-led nations, such as Iran.
