Iran Warns Bahrain of Repercussions of Opposition Leader’s Detention

(FNA)- Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian voiced concern over the spread of security conditions in Bahrain, and said the detention of Bahrain's main opposition leader Sheikh Ali Salman by the Al-Khalifa forces will surely deteriorate the country's political stand-off.

Salman’s arrest (on Sunday) suggests “(the Bahraini regime’s) support for extremists’ activities in the country”, Amir Abdollahian said upon arrival in Tehran from his trip to the United Arab Emirates.

He said that the wrong policy of crackdown and violence adopted by the Bahraini regime will prompt the country’s opposition to distance themselves from democratic methods, which, as the diplomat stressed, will “not be in the interest of Bahrain and the region”.

The Iranian official said Salman’s arrest will have repercussions for the Manama regime.

“Bahrain will not be able to put up with the consequences of this move (the arrest of Salman),” AmirAbdollahian said.

In reaction to Salman's detention, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif had also on Wednesday called for his immediate freedom.

"Coercive confrontation with (Bahraini) people's respected leaders who have never ceased their peaceful manners in pursuing people's demands despite the political and security conditions in recent years will further complicate the situation and also increase dangers and threats," Zarif said in reaction to the Bahraini regime's apprehension of Sheikh Salman.

The Iranian foreign minister called for the immediate release of the leader of Bahrain's Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society.

"The reaction shown by the international bodies and (world) religious authorities (to this issue) displays that he (Sheikh Salman) is highly-respected and his moderate behavior and Al-Wefaq Society have popular and international acceptability," Zarif said.  

Also yesterday, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marziyeh Afkham voiced concern about Sheikh Salman's detention and condition.

Speaking to reporters in a weekly press conference, Afkham expressed deep concern about the conditions of Sheikh Ali Salman, and said, "The Bahraini government's security approach to the settlement of internal issues is wrong and the government should give up this approach to avoid further complicating the situation, and show respect legal and judicial frameworks."

Stressing that Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society with the leadership of Salman is a legal society, she expressed the hope that the Bahraini government would adopt a realistic approach and move to meet people's demands.

Afkham was also asked by reporters about the British plan to deploy troops in a naval base in Bahrain, and said Iran has always stressed the necessity for the establishment of security in the region through cooperation among the regional states and anything outside this frame could leave negative impacts.

Sheikh Salman, who was arrested on Sunday, was remanded in custody on Tuesday for a week pending further questioning.

On Tuesday, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) called on Bahrain to release Sheikh Salman.

OHCHR Spokesperson Liz Throssell called for the immediate release of Sheikh Salman "as well as all other persons convicted or detained for merely exercising their fundamental rights to freedom of expression and assembly".

Sheikh Salman is charged with "promoting regime change by force, threats, and illegal means and of insulting the Interior Ministry publicly", said Bahraini Prosecutor Nayef Mahmud.

The European Union also warned on Monday that the arrest of the al-Wefaq National Islamic Society’s leader by the Bahraini regime "carries the risk of jeopardizing an already difficult political and security situation."

Both the UN and the EU have urged that the only way out of Bahrain's current crisis is dialogue and national reconciliation.

Bahrain has been witnessing almost daily protests against the Al Khalifa dynasty since early 2011, when an uprising began in the kingdom. Since then, thousands of protesters have held numerous rallies in the streets of Bahrain, calling on the Al Khalifa royal family to relinquish power.