Bahraini cabinet backs king’s bid to restore Iran ties
Bahrain’s cabinet threw its weight behind King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa’s remarks in the Russian capital of Moscow about normalizing ties with neighboring countries, including Iran.
Iran’s official IRNA news agency referred to a report by the Arabic-language Bahrain Mirror news website stating that the cabinet welcomed and was pleased with discussions regarding the resumption of ties with the regional states during talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday.
King Hamad said in his meeting with Putin that there was no reason to postpone the restoration of diplomatic relations between Manama and Tehran.
During the conversation, the Bahraini king emphasized that he favored good neighborliness and was after maintaining normal diplomatic, trade and cultural relations with neighboring countries.
“We previously had issues with Iran, but now they no longer exist. Therefore, there is no reason to delay the normalization of relations with Iran,” the king said in Moscow.
Moreover, the deputy speaker of the Bahrain’s Parliament announced that the Persian Gulf Arab country will soon take measures to resume its relations with the Islamic Republic.
“Resumption of political and trade relations between the two countries is of great importance because Iran is a neighboring country and Bahrain supports stable ties with all regional states,” Abdulnabi Salman said on Saturday.
Bahrain followed Saudi Arabia’s decision by severing diplomatic relations with Iran on January 4, 2016, after Iranian protesters, enraged by the execution of prominent Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr Baqir al-Nimr by the Saudi government, stormed its diplomatic mission in Iran.
Back in March 2023, Iran and Saudi Arabia reached an agreement in the Chinese capital of Beijing to restore their diplomatic relations and re-open embassies and missions.
Last Wednesday, Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif al-Zayani visited Tehran to offer his condolences on the tragic death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, who was killed alongside seven others in a helicopter crash in northwest Iran on May 19.