Bahrain accused Iran on Thursday of fomenting deadly violence in the kingdom.
The serious accusations were raised at the U.N. Human Rights Council came after three policemen were killed on Monday by a bomb at a protest in Daih, west of the capital Manama..
“This is terrorism. Premeditated. Pure and simple,” Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Khalid Bin Ahmed al-Khalifa told the Geneva forum, adding that 11 were injured in the incident.
“The violence we see in Bahrain is directly supported by elements of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Khalifa said.
“Governments have repeatedly assessed Iran’s active involvement in: indirect training of violent actors in Bahrain through proxy groups based outside Bahrain; emergence of insurgent groups directly linked to the Al Quds Force, a special unit of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard; arrests across the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) of individuals being directed by Iranian operatives; and seizures of large amounts of deadly weaponry,” he said.
Khalifa called on Iran to “respect the principles of non-intervention, peaceful coexistence and good neighbourliness enshrined in the U.N. Charter”.
Bahrain had always sought friendship with the Islamic Republic and continues to act in good faith, he said. “But we will not tolerate any foreign actor to compromise our security and stability.”