Bahrain Summons Its Ambassador from Tehran and Expels Iran's Chargé d'Affaires

One day after the publication of a report by Bahrain's Ministry of Interior regarding the "discovery of a bomb-making workshop" near the capital and the arrest of several suspects allegedly linked to the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Manama summoned its ambassador from Tehran. Reuters reported on Thursday evening, October 1, citing Bahrain's state news agency, that in addition to recalling its ambassador from Tehran, the Bahraini government labeled Iran's chargé d'affaires in Manama as an "unwelcome element" and gave him 72 hours to leave the country. The chargé d'affaires, Mohammad Reza Babaei, has recently been summoned to the Bahraini Foreign Ministry in protest against remarks made by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic. On Wednesday, the Bahraini Ministry of Interior announced the discovery of a large bomb-making workshop in the village of "Navidrat" south of Manama and the arrest of several suspects "linked to the Quds Force" of the IRGC. The report also indicated the discovery of one and a half tons of powerful explosives in this workshop, and following this, the head of Bahrain's police attributed responsibility for the workshop to the Islamic Republic of Iran. Relations between Iran and Bahrain have been tense in recent years, with the Bahraini government repeatedly claiming to have uncovered "plots" allegedly orchestrated by the Islamic Republic, particularly by the Quds Force, the IRGC's overseas branch. This Gulf nation witnessed a wave of protests in 2011 from the Shia-majority population demanding political reforms. The Bahraini government accuses Iran of inciting Shia citizens and supporting terrorist activities in the country, accusations that Tehran has consistently denied.