Bahrain hosts the U.S. Fifth Fleet, responsible for patrolling the Gulf and which has overseen a naval buildup in the region.

The effort was led by Shi'ite opposition members, who comprise nearly half of Bahrain's 40-seat parliament. The leadership of Bahrain's Shi'ite majority was believed to be under the influence of neighboring Iran.

On May 29, 31 deputies voted for the neutrality resolution. Eight members abstained and one parliamentarian was absent.

"The United States has been very irresponsible in its wars in the region," Bahraini parliamentarian Hamad Khalil Al Muhanna said. "Civil unrest and deaths have often been the results of all American wars. We don't want to create another Iraq in the neighborhood."

The government has not responded to the resolution by parliament, the second since May 22. Pro-government deputies have warned of a backlash.

"The step you are about to take may turn out to be very dangerous for the country and the region," Bahraini Parliamentary Affairs Minister Abdul Aziz Bin Mohammed Al Fadhel said before the vote. "I advise that such sensitive issues be left to government discretion."

But sponsors of the resolution said the United States was seeking to foment a conflict in the Gulf. One sponsor, Hassan Dousari, said Iran has been falsely accused of developing nuclear weapons technology.