Iran has expelled a senior official from Bahrain’s embassy in Tehran in an apparent retaliation after Bahrain did the same to its envoy in Manama.
“The number two official in Bahrain’s embassy in Iran is persona non grata and Bassam al-Dossari must leave Iran’s territory within 72 hours,” the official IRNA news agency quoted a foreign ministry statement as saying late Friday.
Bahrain on Thursday recalled its ambassador from Iran and ordered Tehran’s envoy to leave within 72 hours, citing Iranian “interference” in its affairs.
However, Iran has rejected “the baseless accusations from Bahrain.”
“Tehran has not and will not interfere in Bahrain’s internal affairs and reacts accordingly to Bahrain’s actions,” Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian told state television on Friday, adding that the kingdom is “evading its internal problems by passing the buck, instead of solving them.”
The Gulf kingdom of Bahrain has suffered from unrest since a pro-democracy uprising in 2011.
On Friday, Bahrain took its protest to the United Nations by submitting a complaint against Iran.
“Iran has chosen the path of escalation in an attempt to exert control over its neighbours by continuing to interfere in internal affairs of neighbouring countries,” BNA news agency quoted Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Khaled bin Ahmed al-Khalifa as telling UN chief Ban Ki-moon.
Bahrain is part of an Arab coalition, led by Iran’s regional rival Saudi Arabia, that has been striking Yemeni rebels for over six months.
The coalition accuses Iran of arming rebels in Bahrain and Yemen.