Bahrain’s three reasons for restoring relations with Iran
During his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, the King of Bahrain Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa underlined, “Bahrain confirms the normalization of relations with Iran.” He went on to say, “We had problems with this country in the past, but now there are practically no problems and we see no reason to drag our feet on the normalization of relations with Iran.” We try to spell out why the king of Bahrain has officially called for a rapprochement with the Islamic Republic of Iran.
By Seyyed Razi Emadi
Middle East
affairs expert
Bahrain is a tiny country in the Persian Gulf region; it’s a mere 786 square kilometers and plays host to fewer than 1.5 million folks, half of whom are foreigners. The majority of Bahrain’s locals (about 60%) are Shiites. Bahrain’s geopolitical significance stems from its strategic location — it’s rubbing shoulders with two regional heavyweights, Iran and Saudi Arabia — and the fact that it plays host to the US Fifth Naval Fleet, the biggest American naval base outside its own shores. So, to sum it up, the significance of Bahrain lies in three things: its majority Shia population, its proximity to Iran and Saudi Arabia, and its role as a base for the US Navy.
Bahrain’s Geopolitical Dance
Bahrain is the smallest member state of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council, and when it comes to foreign policy, it tends to go along with whatever Saudi Arabia and the United States are doing. Relations between Bahrain and the Islamic Republic of Iran were severed back in 2016, just a day after Saudi Arabia did the same with Iran.
In the following years, the increase in tension between Iran and Saudi Arabia, as well as between Iran and the United States, has had a negative effect on Tehran-Manama relations and widened the gap between the two countries. One of the reasons why Iran-Bahrain relations are influenced by the policies of other countries regarding Iran is that the volume of business relations between Manama and Tehran is at a small level. According to the report of the Research Center of the Iran Chamber of Commerce, Iran’s annual exports to Bahrain between the Iranian calendar years 1396 and 1400 (March 21, 2017–March 21, 2021) were 11.7, 12.1, 9.9, 8.4, and 9.7 million dollars, respectively. Only 0.02 percent of Iran’s total exports in 1400 went to Bahrain, ranking the country 68th among Iran’s trading partners. In turn, Bahrain took only 0.002% of Iran’s imports that year.
Here are three key factors that shed light on why Bahrain is keen on mending fences with the Islamic Republic of Iran:
Iran-Saudi détente
In the wake of the resumption of ties between Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Republic of Iran on March 10, 2023, discussions turned to the potential restoration of relations between Bahrain and Iran. Just days after Riyadh and Tehran patched things up, Ahmed bin Salman Al Musallam, Speaker of Bahrain’s Council of Representatives, held talks with a parliamentary delegation from the Islamic Republic on the sidelines of the 146th session of the international Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in Manama. He disclosed that Tehran and Manama had commenced negotiations aimed at reinstating passenger flights between the two nations. Adding to the momentum, Barbara Leaf, the US Assistant Secretary of State for Near-Eastern Affairs, briefed members of the US Congress on June 13 regarding the potential resumption of diplomatic relations between Bahrain and Iran.
As Iran and Saudi Arabia bury the hatchet and get closer, Bahrain has been shown to be keen to jump on the bandwagon. Despite not having official diplomatic ties with the Islamic Republic of Iran, Bahrain sent its foreign minister to Tehran to pay its respects to the late Iranian president and foreign minister. Abdullatif al-Zayani, Bahrain’s foreign minister, jetted off to Tehran on Thursday to attend a ceremony honoring president Ebrahim Raisi and the late Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, the foreign minister of Iran. In the same vein, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the King of Bahrain, emphasized the importance of rekindling ties between Manama and Tehran during his meeting with Vladimir Putin.
Diplomatic efforts of Raisi, FM
The flagship foreign policy strategy of Iran’s government, helmed by Raisi, was to build bridges with neighboring, Islamic, and like-minded countries. Over time, this policy gained traction and wasn’t just all talk and no action. 28 trips to 23 countries during the 34-month presidency of Raisi are a testament to that administration’s commitment to mending fences and building bridges. Countries like Saudi Arabia and Bahrain came to recognize the genuine intentions and honest approach of the Iranian administration in restoring relations, even steering clear of taking hasty positions. As a result, tensions between Iran and its neighboring countries, including Bahrain, have cooled down. Now, the King of Bahrain is emphasizing that there’s no point in dragging their feet when it comes to normalizing relations with Iran.
Waning US influence in Mideast
The third relevant factor is the declining American influence in the Middle East. With Joe Biden taking the reins in the US in 2021, ties with Saudi Arabia hit a rough patch, and Washington started to shift its focus to East Asia.
Nevertheless, the US doesn’t seem keen on adding fuel to the fire in the Middle East, and it’s not against efforts to improve relations between countries in the region, including Iran. One reason for this shift is that the US doesn’t hold all the cards anymore, and its ability to throw its weight around and strong-arm countries in the Middle East has taken a hit. Saudi Arabia’s refusal to follow US policy on the Ukraine war, as well as its refusal to ramp up oil production, are tell-tale signs of the US losing its grip on the Middle East. With the US influence on the back foot, Bahrain now has more freedom to reconcile with the Islamic Republic.
The King of Bahrain stress on restoring relations with Iran is a surefire sign that the policy of trying to make the Islamic Republic isolated and driving a wedge between Iran and Arab countries, which the US was hell-bent on, has fallen flat. The decline in American influence in the Middle East has also given Arab countries more wiggle room to call the shots in their foreign policy. Even with the untimely death of the Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi and his foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, the Islamic Republic is still keen on mending fences with its neighbors. This was echoed by Iran’s leader of the Revolution in a meeting with foreign dignitaries who flew to Tehran to pay their last respects. Iran welcomes the idea of restoring relations with Bahrain and even calls for expanding economic ties alongside political ones.
The article first appeared on Mehr News Agency.