Iran's foreign minister warned Monday of "bad repercussions" from the situation in Bahrain where authorities are accused of oppressing the Shia majority after crushing a month-old protest. Ali Akbar Salehi also renewed Tehran's strong criticism of Gulf countries for sending troops to tiny Bahrain, boosting Bahraini security forces in their crackdown on the Shias who led the pro-democracy uprising.
"We are sure that if the status quo persist in Bahrain, it will have bad repercussions on the region that no one would like," Salehi told reporters in Doha following talks with the Qatari leadership. "The problem in Bahrain concerns the people of Bahrain only, so armies should not have been sent invading the country and doing what they have done," he said.
Relations between Tehran and US-allied Gulf countries have tensed over Iran's criticism of the heavy-handed crackdown on Shias in the kingdom that is ruled by the Sunni Al-Khalifa dynasty. Salehi said that he hoped that Qatar will be able to mediate an exit from the Bahrain impasse.
"Through Qatar's efforts, we hope a suitable solution for the situation in Bahrain could be reached," he said, without specifying whether Doha was trying to mediate between the Manama government and the opposition. In March, Tehran recalled its ambassador from Bahrain after Manama recalled its envoy in Iran. The two countries also expelled some diplomats.
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