News / Politics

Iran dismisses Bahrain's terror claim over June bomb blast

Wednesday, 13 July 2016 2:18 PM [ Last Update: Wednesday, 13 July 2016 2:57 PM ]

The file photo shows the building of Iran’s Foreign Ministry in Tehran.

Iran has categorically rejected a claim by Bahrain that a bombing in the Persian Gulf kingdom last month was linked to the Islamic Republic.

On Wednesday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Bahram Qassemi, dismissed Bahrain’s allegation as baseless and part of an outdated approach pursued by the kingdom.

The Iranian official called on Manama to stop leveling groundless accusations against others and avoid approaches that have failure, and instead address the root causes of the problems gripping the Arab country.

Bahrain’s Interior Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday that Manama had arrested two men suspected of planting a bomb that killed a Bahraini woman in late June, claiming that they received training and support from Iran.

The ministry statement also claimed that a third suspect in the blast had fled to Iran.

“Unfortunately, the Bahraini government makes such false and fabricated allegations to play a blame game in the face of the country's domestic crisis and to evade responding to public opinion,” Qassemi said.

The Manama regime has, on numerous occasions, accused the Islamic Republic of interfering in its affairs. Iran has strongly rejected the allegation as part of a blame game policy pursued by Manama.

This comes as Bahrain is continuing its harsh crackdown on dissent and protests in the tiny Persian Gulf country.

Hundreds of people, including notable opposition leaders, are behind bars for their involvement in popular protests against the ruling Al Khalifah regime, which began in February 2011.

Last month, Bahrain revoked the citizenship of the country’s prominent Shia cleric, Shiekh Isa Qassim, which prompted huge criticism at domestic and international levels.

Bahraini demonstrators attend a protest against the revocation of the citizenship of the senior Bahraini Shia cleric, Sheikh Isa Qassim, on June 20, 2016 near his house in the village of Diraz, west of Manama. ©AFP

The decision came less than a week after the Bahraini Justice Ministry suspended all activities of al-Wefaq National Islamic Society, the main opposition group in the country.

Wefaq’s Secretary General Sheikh Ali Salman has been in prison since December 2014.

Anti-regime protesters want Al Khalifah family to relinquish power.

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