Iran's Reaction to Bahrain: 'Address Your Deep Internal Problems'

The Deputy Foreign Minister of Iran described the summoning of the Iranian chargé d'affaires in Bahrain as a diversion and advised Bahraini officials to address their 'deep internal problems.' Recent statements by the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic regarding Bahrain prompted the Bahraini Foreign Ministry to once again protest by summoning the Iranian chargé d'affaires on Saturday, December 7, over what they described as 'open interference' in Bahrain's affairs. Ayatollah Khamenei, on December 4, accused the Bahraini ruling body of being a 'tyrannical minority in power' that is engaged in 'pressure and humiliation of the people of Bahrain.' He stated that 'the actions of this tyrannical minority have reached a point where they insult the sanctities and mourning rituals of the people of Bahrain.' These remarks have repeatedly provoked anger among Bahraini officials, with the Bahraini Foreign Ministry describing the aim of these statements as 'igniting tensions in the region.' In Tehran, it was Morteza Sarmadi, the Deputy Foreign Minister, who responded to Bahrain's reaction, calling the summoning of the Iranian chargé d'affaires a 'diversion.' Mr. Sarmadi, speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a memorial for Ghoncheh Rakhnaabadi, said that 'Bahraini officials should better seek to find solutions to their deep internal problems.' Relations between Bahrain and Iran have soured since 2011, when anti-government protests in Manama, Bahrain's capital, were largely initiated by Shiites. Since then, Bahrain has repeatedly accused the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of training and equipping 'terrorists' for operations in the country. Recently, a court in Bahrain sentenced 12 Shiites to life imprisonment and stripped them of their citizenship for 'forming a terrorist group' and 'attacking police with explosives.' Earlier, on November 14, five Bahraini Shiites were sentenced to life imprisonment and stripped of their citizenship on charges of espionage for Iran. However, the most significant escalation in tensions between Iran and Bahrain occurred in October after the Bahraini Ministry of Interior reported the 'discovery of a bomb-making workshop' near the capital and the arrest of several suspects allegedly collaborating with the Quds Force in this regard, prompting Bahrain to recall its ambassador from Tehran. At that time, the Bahraini government also labeled the Iranian chargé d'affaires in Manama as an 'undesirable element' and gave him 72 hours to leave the country. This action prompted a similar response in Iran, where the second-ranking diplomat of the Bahraini embassy in Tehran was also designated as an 'undesirable element' and was given 72 hours to leave Iran.