The king’s comments Sunday mark Bahrain’s clearest opposition yet to the idea of American military intervention in Iraq. In a meeting with Sheik Hamad, Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said “any power planning to take action against the Islamic world today will definitely meet great problems.”

　　Dialogue and closer relations between Iran and its Arab neighbors would help stop American threats, he added. “The U.S. president openly speaks of a crusade war. Under such circumstances, Muslim countries should get closer together and increase their cooperation,” he said.In the Saudi coastal city of Jiddah, visiting Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh said Sunday he opposed an attack on Iraq, saying it would have “serious repercussions for security in the region.” Saleh told reporters Yemen “is maintaining the Arab stance that rejects striking Iraq because it is unjustifiable, especially after Iraq has declared its willingness to start dialogue on weapons inspection.” The joint Iranian-Bahraini statement said both states would soon sign a security pact because “the two countries believe security for each was security for the other.” (SD-Agencies)