By Staff, Agencies

Iran slammed Bahrain's “despicable” welcoming of Zionist foreign minister Yair Lapid to Manama, considering it at odds with the will of the Bahraini people, stressing that the visit left an “unremovable stain” on the reputation of the tiny Gulf country’s rulers.

In a statement on Friday, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh denounced the move, saying any scheme to bolster the ‘Israeli’ regime’s “destructive presence” in the region will escalate regional tensions and instability.

Lapid arrived in Bahrain on Thursday to open the Zionist occupation entity’s embassy in Manama and sign cooperation deals with the Arab country.

He met Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and Crown Prince and Prime Minister Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa.

Lapid’s visit to Bahrain is aimed at advancing the US-pushed normalization deals between the Zionist entity and a number of Arab countries, including the UAE, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco.

Khatibzadeh lamented Bahrain’s ignoring of the Zionist regime’s daily atrocities against the oppressed yet resistant people of Palestine.

“Such actions will not give a boost to the legitimacy of the Zionist regime and will not affect the ideal of liberating al-Quds al-Sharif as the first qibla of the world’s Muslims,” he said.

Khatibzadeh also emphasized that Bahraini rulers will not be able to remove the mark of disgrace.

“The people of the region will continue to oppose the process of normalization of relations with the Zionist regime,” he added.

On Thursday night, Bahraini people staged protests against Lapid’s visit, holding placards condemning normalization with the ‘Israeli’ entity.

The protesters shouted “Down with ‘Israel’” and “Get out of Bahrain” to protest the normalization of ties with Tel Aviv, local media reported.