Bahrain Cuts All Flights to Iran

Saudi Arabia's Al Arabiya TV reported on Tuesday, January 5, that Bahrain has decided to suspend all flights from the country to Iran and from Iran to Bahrain. A day earlier, Bahrain announced its decision to sever political relations with Iran and gave the Iranian diplomatic mission in Manama 48 hours to leave its territory. Bahrain's official news agency, BNA, published a statement from the government saying: 'Following the cowardly act against our brothers at the Saudi embassy in Tehran and the consulate in Mashhad - an act that shows a blatant violation of international treaties and unfortunate sectarian policies - we can neither remain silent nor accept [Iran's diplomatic presence].' On Sunday, Saudi Arabia similarly suspended flights from its country to Iran and announced that it would cut its trade relations with Iran due to 'Iran's interference in Saudi internal affairs.' These actions are in response to protests in Iran against the execution of a prominent Shia cleric in Saudi Arabia. Following the execution of Sheikh Nimr, a well-known Shia cleric and critic of the Saudi government, protests erupted in front of the Saudi embassy and consulate in Tehran and Mashhad, culminating in attackers entering the embassy and setting part of it on fire. Isa Al-Hamadi, Bahrain's Minister of Information, accused the Iranian government in an interview with Al Arabiya of allowing the attacks on Saudi diplomatic sites in Tehran and Mashhad to happen. Meanwhile, the Iranian government condemned these attacks and stated that the attackers would be punished. In the recent dispute between Iran and Saudi Arabia, the Arab League, the Gulf Cooperation Council, as well as Egypt and Jordan have expressed support for Saudi Arabia. Protests in Bahrain against Sheikh Nimr's execution Meanwhile, the Associated Press reports that on Tuesday, hundreds of Bahraini Shia protested in the Sitra area south of the capital against Sheikh Nimr's execution by Saudi Arabia. According to the report, police injured several protesters by firing tear gas and rubber bullets, and protesters threw Molotov cocktails at the police. Shia Muslims in Bahrain are in the majority but the Sunni-led government of the country is a close ally of Saudi Arabia. Nobakht's remarks on 'behind-the-scenes hands' in the embassy attack According to IRNA news agency, Mohammad Baqer Nobakht, the Iranian government's spokesman, commented on the attacks on Saudi diplomatic sites in Iran during a press conference on Tuesday, saying: 'The recent events regarding the Saudi embassy are not justifiable from a religious perspective and are not befitting of the noble Iranian nation legally.' He added, 'Therefore, it must be carefully examined what hands are behind the scenes trying to overshadow this issue, and the judiciary is actively pursuing the matter and will deal with anyone who has committed an offense, whether intentionally or unintentionally.' In response to Saudi Arabia's decision to sever relations with Iran, he said: 'Saudi Arabia, which is pursuing an immature and inexperienced policy, will suffer losses.' He added, 'The Islamic Republic of Iran is a large country, and we are witnessing a massive welcome from countries for the development of relations, so what share does Saudi Arabia provide for our national development that we should be concerned about?' A day earlier, Mohsen Kazemini, commander of the 'Mohammad Rasoulallah' Corps in Tehran, also stated that the attack on the Saudi embassy in Tehran was 'completely organized' and 'a very wrong and misguided act.' In recent days in Iran, Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, in response to Sheikh Nimr's execution, stated that 'the hand of divine revenge will seize Saudi officials.' However, Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, while condemning Sheikh Nimr's execution, dedicated part of his speech to denouncing the 'extremists' attack on the Saudi embassy and consulate in Iran, considering these attacks equivalent to 'an insult to the system.'