In what appears to be a tit-for-tat move after Bahrain withdrew its ambassador from Tehran to protest Iran’s criticisms, Iran today recalled its ambassador from Manama in protest against the killing of Shi’ite Muslim demonstrators.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Wednesday criticized Bahrain’s crackdown on protesters and told Saudi Arabia its military deployment was a threat to regional security.
“Today, we witness the degree of pressure imposed on the majority of people in Bahrain and [they] use rifles and cannon … What has happened is bad, unjustifiable and irreparable,” Ahmadinejad said on state television.
Iran, the main Shi’ite power in the Gulf, warned that the crisis could lead to wider conflict – something analysts have warned is a real risk due to regional rivalries and sectarian tensions.
About 1,000 Saudi troops entered Bahrain on Monday as part of an effort by the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to help the government cope with the protests — a move Tehran said was conceived by its long-time foe, the United States.
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