Bahrain Calls Back Its Ambassador from Tehran

On Saturday, August 25, the Bahraini government announced that in response to the 'hostile' remarks of Iranian officials, it has recalled its ambassador in Tehran for 'consultation.' According to Reuters, the Bahraini Foreign Ministry stated that this decision was made following repeated interventionist and hostile statements by Iranian officials regarding Bahrain's internal affairs. The statement added that Bahrain hopes to restore normal relations between the two countries. Previously, on July 19, just a day after Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's speech during Eid al-Fitr, Bahrain summoned the Iranian chargé d'affaires in Manama in protest against these remarks. In his speech regarding the nuclear agreement between Iran and six world powers, Khamenei stated that Iran's policies toward the United States would not change, and Tehran would not abandon the support of its 'friends' in the region. Khamenei mentioned Syria, Yemen, Bahrain, Palestine, Lebanon, and Iraq, stating that 'whether this text (of the agreement) is approved or not, we will not cease supporting our friends in the region.' Tensions between Iran and Arab countries have escalated since the onset of protests in Arab countries in the region. Saudi Arabia and the member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council accuse Iran of interfering in their internal affairs. Iran is considered a supporter of Bashar al-Assad's government in Syria, some Shiite groups in Iraq and Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, and some Shiite opposition groups in Bahrain. Since 2011, Bahrain has witnessed protests from the majority Shiite community against the monarchy. Opponents of the Bahraini government are calling for a constitutional monarchy and the election of a prime minister to run the government. Since the beginning of the protests in Bahrain, relations between the two countries have been tense, and the Iranian chargé d'affaires has been summoned on other occasions in protest against Khamenei's statements regarding Bahrain, including last May when Manama described the Supreme Leader's comments about 'supporting the oppressed people of Bahrain' as 'clear interference' in its internal affairs. In this context, Bahrain summoned the Iranian chargé d'affaires in protest against Khamenei's remarks, emphasizing Khamenei's insistence on not changing Iran's overall policy toward the United States. An 'informed source' in the Iranian Foreign Ministry rejected Bahrain's accusations, responding to Saudi Arabia's allegations regarding 'support for terrorism.' Following Manama's protest against Khamenei, Iran summoned the Bahraini chargé d'affaires.