MANAMA, Bahrain — Facing another decision about American troop numbers in Iraq by spring, President Bush said today it is “fine with me” if generals recommend no more cuts than those planned to drop the force level to about 130,000.

Mr. Bush also commended Iraq’s parliament for passing legislation reinstating thousands of former supporters of Saddam Hussein’s now-dissolved Baath party to government jobs.

“It’s an important step toward reconciliation,” Mr. Bush said, after more than a year of prodding by America for action on the legislation. “It’s an important sign that the leaders of that country understand that they must work together to meet the aspirations of the Iraqi people.”

Mr. Bush made the remarks during a meeting with Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa.

“I know you’ve been concerned about Iraq and the politics of Iraq,” Mr. Bush told the king. The president said he was pleased to inform the monarch about the passage of the law.

“I come with an upbeat message, a hopeful message — a message that will prevail here in the Middle East,” Mr. Bush, the first sitting America president to visit Bahrain, said. Mr. Bush invited the king to visit him in Washington.

Mr. Bush, traveling for the next few days among Sunni Arab-ruled states jittery about the rising influence and ambitions of Shiite-majority Iran, again put Tehran on notice during remarks earlier today in Kuwait.

“Iran’s role in fomenting violence has been exposed,” Mr. Bush said as he listed successes America is helping to bring about in Iraq. “Iranian agents are in our custody and we are learning more about how Iran has supported extremist groups with training and lethal aid.”

After spending a day in Kuwait meeting with its leaders and addressing American troops based here, Mr. Bush was welcomed in Bahrain, host to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet.

Mr. Bush was treated to trumpet and cannon salutes as he walked down a long, red carpet at a palace near the capital city Manama. The king presented Mr. Bush with a medal described as Bahrain’s highest award.

Mr. Bush congratulated Bahrain for holding free elections and noted the election two years ago of a female member of parliament.

“Our two nations share a common vision for the future of the Middle East,” Mr. Bush said in brief remarks at the welcome ceremony.

Mr. Bush then watched dancers in flowing robes and headdress perform with swords and rifles. The president and King Hamad were each presented with swords, which they raised over their heads as the dancers had done.

Mr. Bush’s comments in Bahrain echoed his praise for similar democratic gains in Kuwait, where women were given the vote in 2005. Although he talked democracy and development with a group of Kuwaiti women, most of his public business in the emirate concerned the military challenge next door in Iraq.

The top American commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, told reporters after Mr. Bush spoke at Camp Arifjan, the largest American base in Kuwait, that the overall flow of weaponry from Iran into Iraq appears to be down. But the general said attacks with “explosively formed projectiles” tied to Tehran are up by a factor of two or three in recent days. “Frankly, we are trying to determine why that might be,” he said.

The roadside bombs, known as EFPs, are armor-piercing explosives that have killed hundreds of American soldiers in Iraq. American military officials have been saying for months that mainly Shiite Iran has been supplying EFPs to Shiite militias in Iraq, despite strong denials by Tehran.

The camp outside Kuwait City is home to about 9,000 American troops. Mr. Bush met there with General Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker to get a firsthand report on the war in Iraq. General Petraeus and Mr. Crocker are scheduled to give Congress another update on Iraq in March and make a recommendation about troop levels that Mr. Bush said must be made “based upon success.”

“My attitude is, if he didn’t want to continue the drawdown, that’s fine with me, in order to make sure we succeed, see,” the president told reporters after the hourlong briefing. “I said to the general, ‘If you want to slow her down, fine. It’s up to you.'”

After a similar report from General Petraeus and Mr. Crocker in September, Mr. Bush announced he would withdraw some troops from Iraq by July — essentially the 30,000 sent as part of a buildup ordered a year ago — but still keep the American level there at about 130,000.

“The only thing I can tell you we’re on track for is, we’re doing what we said was going to happen,” the president said.

The war remains deeply unpopular to the American public and to Democratic leaders in Congress, who have been unable to force Mr. Bush’s hand on deeper, faster troop withdrawals.

American commanders credit a Sunni backlash against Al Qaeda in Iraq with helping reduce violence over the past six months. But devastating attacks persist even as Iraqi casualties are down by 55% nationwide since June 2007, according to an Associated Press count.

So far, nine of 18 Iraqi provinces have reverted from American military to Iraqi security control, although the handover has gone slower than the Bush administration once hoped, mainly because of obstacles to developing sufficient Iraqi police and army forces.

The central government in Baghdad also has disappointed its American backers. It has lagged in passing legislative reforms seen as key to countering sectarian violence, promoting political cohesion and economic development.

Not long after Mr. Bush spoke, however, Iraq’s parliament adopted the law on the reinstatement of former Baath party supporters to government jobs. The measure relaxes restrictions on the right of Baath party members to fill government posts. It is also designed to reinstate thousands of Baathists expelled from government jobs. The dismissals had deepened sectarian tensions between Iraq’s majority Shiites and the once-dominant Sunni Arabs.

A White House spokesman, Gordon Johndroe, said Mr. Bush called Jordan’s King Abdullah to update him on his trip to the Middle East, which showcases Mr. Bush’s new drive to secure a peace pact between Israel and the Palestinian Arabs this year.

“He told his majesty that he was encouraged by what he found in Israel and the Palestinian territories and hopeful about the progress that can be made there,” Johndroe said.