The unannounced visit was designed to reassure Bahrain's leaders of US support while also urging a dialogue with opposition groups, press secretary Geoff Morrell told reporters aboard Gates's plane.

Gates "felt it was important to make a stop in Manama to engage with the crown prince and the king of Bahrain about the current situation there as well as in the region," Morrell said.

He said the defence chief would hold talks on Saturday to convey "reassurance of our support as well as encouragement of the national dialogue which is in its nascent stages now."

Gates is the first member of Obama's cabinet to travel to Bahrain since demonstrations erupted in the strategic Gulf kingdom in February.

Before Gates arrived, tensions soared as Bahraini police fired tear gas at anti-government protesters in a bid to head off clashes with armed loyalists.

Bahrain, a Shiite-majority state ruled by a Sunni dynasty, has been gripped by protests calling for political change since February 14.

With political upheaval sweeping the region, the visit comes two weeks after the American military's top officer, Admiral Mike Mullen, also stopped in Manama, which is home to the US Fifth Fleet.

Gates, who flew from Brussels after a meeting of NATO defence ministers on the crisis in Libya, was carrying out more of "a diplomatic role" in the visit to Bahrain rather discussing defence-related issues, Morrell said.

The defence chief plans to return to the region soon for talks with other governments in the Middle East, he added.

"Given the current events in Bahrain and in the region, the administration's judgement is that the best path towards stability to get out ahead of the calls for reform," said a US defence official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

President Barack Obama's administration has avoided sharp criticism of Bahrain while calling on its leaders to address the concerns of opposition groups.

The defence official told reporters that Washington was concerned about unrest in Bahrain but did not believe the government was "on the brink" of collapse.

"The security services, after engaging in some activity that we were critical of at the beginning of this, have really dialed things back and shown a great deal of restraint," the official said.

"So we don't see Bahrain on the knife's edge."

The Obama administration was hopeful that the royal family and opposition groups could agree on the terms of a dialogue proposed by the crown prince, the official said.

The administration has played down any role by Shiite-led Iran in fomenting unrest in Bahrain or elsewhere in the region, but the defence official said that unresolved political tensions over time could offer an opening to Tehran.

"I don't think we see them as the hidden hand behind this," said the official, referring to Iran.

"We are concerned that the longer this crisis prolongs, the more opportunity there might be for Iran to create mischief."

The Manama protests have set off alarm bells in neighbouring Saudi Arabia, which has a restive Shiite minority population. Riyadh launched a massive security operation Friday to deter protesters from a planned "Day of Rage."

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