Hagel reassures Gulf allies U.S. committed to regional security

MANAMA (Reuters) - Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel toured a U.S. warship in the Gulf on Friday and declared Washington's commitment to Middle East security, despite policy differences over Iran and Syria that have angered Gulf allies.

His visit to Bahrain, in which he will speak at the Manama Dialogue security conference, comes at a time of regional unease over President Barack Obama's policies - ranging from the cautious U.S. response to Syria's civil war to the six world powers' interim deal with Iran on its nuclear program.