With Iran Ascendant, U.S. Is Seen at Fault

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- Kuwait rarely rebuffs its ally, the United States, partly out of gratitude for the 1991 Persian Gulf War. But in October it reneged on a pledge to send three military observers to an American-led naval exercise in the Gulf, according to U.S. officials and Kuwaiti analysts.

"We understood," a State Department official said. "The Kuwaitis were being careful not to antagonize the Iranians."

Nuclear Development in Iran Iran to Start Assembling Centrifuges, IAEA Says Troops Authorized to Kill Iranian Operatives in Iraq Iran Rebuffs U.N., Vows to Speed Up Uranium Enrichment Sanctions On Iran Approved By U.N. Europeans Yield on Iran Sanctions More Stories At a Glance U.N. Resolution 1696   Timeline: Iran's Nuclear Program   Graphic: Tracking Nukes' Spread   The IAEA The latest reports on Iran from the International Atomic Energy Agency. In Focus: IAEA and Iran   In Focus: Non-Proliferation Treaty   Full Text of Treaty (PDF)   Who's Blogging? Read what bloggers are saying about this article. Edward J. Renehan Jr. Shining Light In Dark Corners Tailrank - Top News for Today Full List of Blogs (30 links) � Most Blogged About Articles On washingtonpost.com | On the web