THE DIPLOMATS and military officers gathered last week for the Manama Dialogue, an annual talkfest(长时间的讨论会) in Bahrain’s capital, all had the same questions—and no answers. As they nibbled puff pastry at the Ritz-Carlton, their conversations invariably came back to Donald Trump’s threats to resume his war with Iran after the midterm elections.(在丽思卡尔顿酒店里，他们一边小口吃着酥皮点心，一边交谈，话题总会绕回唐纳德·特朗普的威胁：他要在中期选举后重启对伊朗的战争。) Would he do it, and when? Might the Iranians strike first?
上周，外交官和军官们齐聚巴林首都，参加一年一度的“麦纳麦对话”论坛。他们心中有着同样的疑问，却都得不到答案。在丽思卡尔顿酒店里，他们一边小口吃着酥皮点心，一边交谈，话题总会绕回唐纳德·特朗普的威胁：他要在中期选举后重启对伊朗的战争。他会动手吗？什么时候动手？伊朗会不会先发制人？
There were almost no Americans on hand(在场，手边) to ask: the Trump administration sent only a pair of mid-ranking officials, and both were tight-lipped(守口如瓶的). To some Gulf officials, the unusually small delegation(代表团) seemed like a snub(怠慢，冷落). “They could at least try to reassure us,” grumbled(抱怨，嘟囔) one.
现场几乎没有美国人可以询问：特朗普政府只派了两名中层官员，而且两人都守口如瓶。在一些海湾官员看来，如此小的代表团像是一种怠慢。“他们至少可以试着安抚我们一下，”一位官员抱怨道。
Gulf states are reluctant(不情愿的) to offer such blunt(直率的，生硬的) criticism in public, lest they antagonise(激怒，使敌对) the president. But they are unanimous(一致同意的) that they do not want another round of fighting—unlike in February, when some were equivocal(模棱两可的). This time even the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which has taken the most hawkish(鹰派的，强硬的) stance towards Iran, is urging Mr Trump not to strike. “We in the UAE don’t believe that a military solution is viable(可行的),” says Anwar Gargash, a diplomatic adviser to the Emirati president.
海湾国家不愿公开提出如此直率的批评，以免激怒美国总统。但它们一致认为不想再打一轮——这与今年2月不同，当时一些国家态度暧昧。这一次，就连对伊朗立场最强硬的阿联酋，也在敦促特朗普不要动武。“我们阿联酋不认为军事解决方案可行，”阿联酋总统的外交顾问安瓦尔·加尔加什说。