KUWAIT CITY, Jan 11: US President George Bush arrived in Kuwait on Friday to rally the support of Arab allies against what he calls the Iranian “threat,” after making a bold prediction for Middle East peace.

His tour of Washington's closest friends in the oil-rich Gulf region comes amid escalating tensions between the United States and Iran over a naval confrontation in the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

But several commentators in the region have voiced strong misgivings about his intentions, amid fears Washington could resort to military action to halt Iran's disputed nuclear drive.

Although Kuwait is welcoming Bush as a friend, officials have said the emirate will not allow the United States to use its territory as a launchpad for any strike against Iran.

“Mr President, the region needs smart initiatives not smart bombs,” the Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Rai said in a front-page editorial.

Kuwait was a springboard for the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq that toppled then dictator Saddam Hussein, whose forces had invaded his tiny neighbour in 1990 before the emirate was liberated by a US-led coalition in early 1991.—AFP