Tehran Slams Bahrain for Calling Iran «Foreign Enemy»

Local Editor

Tehran condemns Bahraini Foreign Minister Khalid bin Ahmed Khalifa's "baseless" claims that Iran is a foreign enemy and a security threat, a spokesman for Iran's Foreign Ministry said Monday.

On Sunday, the National Council of Resistance of Iran, a democratic coalition of Iranian organizations, reported about Khalifa's claim that Iran was the first security threat to the Middle East. Reports also suggested that Bahrain planned to create a standing committee in the Arab League against Iran.

"Bahrain is entangled in an internal crisis and is after a foreign enemy to divert the public opinion from the issue," Bahram Qassemi said, as quoted by the Fars news agency.

Qassemi reportedly called on Manama to resolve its own internal problems peacefully.

On January 15, Bahrain executed three men allegedly guilty of killing three police officers in 2014. This sparked outrage among the Bahraini people, as it was widely speculated that the government tortured the three men into confession.

In response, Qassemi criticized the Bahraini government's inability to seek a peaceful resolution, and reportedly called the executions "reckless."

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team