Bahraini Officials Make False Allegations against Iran

The representative of prominent Bahraini cleric Sheikh Issa Ahmed Qassem denounced recent allegations leveled against Iran by the Bahraini authorities, saying that the remarks are made to win Saudi Arabia’s support.

“Recent remarks made by the Bahraini interior minister, who has threatened to limit religious freedom for (the country’s) Shiites, and false allegations against the Islamic Republic of Iran, are in fact a step by the Al Khalifa regime to get closer to Saud Arabia,” Sheikh Abdullah al-Daqqaq told the Tasnim News Agency.

“The Al Khalifa regime is on the verge of bankruptcy due to drop in oil prices and needs Saudi Arabia’s donations and gifts,” the cleric said.

The Bahraini officials have resorted to leveling accusation against the Islamic Republic in a bid to appease the Saudi regime, he added.

Bahrain’s Interior Minister Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa on Sunday accused Iran of interfering in its internal affairs and warned against what he called Tehran’s attempts to meddle in other Arab countries.

That is while, Bahrain, a close ally of the US in the Persian Gulf region, has been witnessing almost daily protests against the ruling Al Khalifa dynasty since early 2011, with Manama using heavy-handed measures in an attempt to crush the demonstrations.

Scores of Bahrainis have been killed and hundreds of others injured and arrested in the ongoing crackdown on the peaceful demonstrations.

Troops from Saudi Arabia have been also deployed to Bahrain to assist in its crackdown on the peaceful protesters.