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On Wednesday and in a meeting in Manama, Bahrain once again showed its anti-Iran feeling by a baseless claim against Tehran. Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifah met with visiting Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in the capital Manama, where they accused Iran of meddling in the affairs of Arab countries.

They also charged Tehran with non-compliance with the principles of good neighborliness, and destabilizing activities.

Additionally, Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid al-Zayani repeated the anti-Iran claims in a joint press conference with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry.

Reacting to this baseless claim, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kan’ani denounced the recent joint statement by Bahraini and Egyptian authorities about the nuclear and defense doctrines of the Islamic Republic, saying Tehran’s defense and missile capabilities never pose a threat to neighboring states.

Kan’ani dismissed the anti-Iran allegations as “baseless, biased and unconstructive,” stressing that they were made in the pursuit of certain objectives and motives.

He called on Manama and Cairo to acquire a true understanding of regional equations, and take note of the role that the Islamic Republic of Iran plays as to establishment and promotion of stability across the Middle East.

The spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry went on to criticize the two Arab countries’ stubborn insistence on following the wrong path of Iranophobia, stating that such an approach is far away from wisdom and serves the interests of the Israeli regime in the region.

“Safeguarding and protecting nuclear achievements is an inalienable right of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Kan’ani said, emphasizing that Tehran’s defense and missile capabilities are promoted “based on the country’s strategic policies, fall within the framework of its defense doctrine and by no means constitute a threat to neighboring states.”

The Iranian diplomat further highlighted that the Islamic Republic is willing to maintain and expand relations with its neighbors as well as Arab and Muslim countries, stressing that the incumbent administration has devoted considerable efforts to that goal.

Iran has reaffirmed its good neighbor policy in dealing with regional countries, reassuring its neighbors that Tehran’s missile and nuclear programs are civilian in nature and serve the security of the region.

Tehran’s influence and the power of the Islamic Revolution is the main concern of Bahrain and even Egypt because those countries are concerned about spread of the Islamic Revolution’s ideology and principles in the Muslim world and their leaders fear their fates and uprising of their nations.

The Islamic Republic of Iran since its foundation in 1979 has tried to promote Islamic values among the Muslim states and it has been to some extent successful and this is the point which frightens Bahrain and Egypt which are in power by military power rather than election.

Bahrain and Egypt are run by un-elected rulers although Egyptian President runs the country after winning in a one-sided election by imprisoning major contenders. So the rulers of these two countries fear about their future and awakening of their nations inpursuing the path of the Islamic Revolution in gaining independence and fighting with the Zionists.

The influence of the Islamic Revolution is fully clear for every person and Tehran does not need to interfere in the domestic affairs of Arab countries because its ideology finds its way and it needs no physical presence or interference. So the tiny Bahrain is better to mind its own business and stop accusing Tehran because it is too weak to mess with Tehran. Bahraini rulers by normalization of ties with Israel have shown their dependence on the West and the Zionists, and they act what the Zionists dictate.

Of course whenever Iran’s nuclear talks reach its climax, we can expect such baseless claims from any hostile country and what came from Manama was not surprising and more will come but these rubbish claims cannot jolt the pillars of the Islamic Revolution and countries like Bahrain act in a way to please their lords and Western allies.

Bahrain like some other undemocratic rulers do not sleep the nights well because of awakening among their nations which any moment can bring their rulers down and countdown has begun for the full awakening of Muslim nations and they will win because of the global achievements of the Islamic Revolution and its worldwide influence.

So influence of the Islamic Revolution and its ideals have turned into a thorn in the eyes of some hostile countries and Bahrain is the one with sleepless nights of popular uprising. It is just a matter of time.

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Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett landed in Bahrain on Monday for a two-day visit and was received by Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani.

The Israeli prime minister met with several Bahraini officials with whom he discussed “deepening cooperation, as well as various ideas, in innovation, the economy and technology.”

During his meeting with the Bahraini foreign minister, Bennett appeared to be getting carried away. “I want to thank my friends for such a generous and warm welcome. I come here on the first official visit of an Israeli prime minister in Bahrain, but it’s not only symbolic. My goal during this visit is to inject content into the Abraham Accords in trade, in people-to-people connections, and in all dimensions, and I’m very much looking forward to this day,” he said.

Bennett’s visit to Bahrain was done without much fanfare in advance.  And this seems to be due to security concerns about the visit. The visit, however, wasn’t surprising given the momentum Manama-Tel Aviv relations are taking on. Earlier this month, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz made a surprise visit to Bahrain. Gantz’s visit was unannounced too. It was announced only after the Israeli minister arrived in Manama.

After Gantz’s visit, it was announced that a senior Israeli naval officer will be permanently stationed in Bahrain. The tiny Persian Gulf nation’s foreign ministry confirmed the appointment of the Israeli officer, saying it will be related to the work of an unnamed international coalition of more than 34 countries.

The abrupt announcement of the coalition raised further concerns about the potential insecurity of the strategically important region. Bahrain said the coalition’s task will include securing freedom of navigation in the territorial waters of the region, protecting international trade and confronting piracy and terrorism.

The appointment of the Israeli officer in Bahrain, which indicates that Israel will be part of that coalition, runs counter to Iran’s emphasis that no foreign troops should be tasked with maintaining security in the Persian Gulf.

In general, Iran has opposed any foreign military presence in the Persian Gulf. And it categorically opposes any Israeli presence, whether military or non-military, in the Persian Gulf.

When the United Arab Emirates announced a normalization of diplomatic ties with Israel, Iran was clear about what that meant for security in the region. Tehran strongly criticized the United Arab Emirates for signing an agreement with Israel to normalize ties.

“The rulers of the United Arab Emirates should know that they have gone in the wrong direction if they think that they can buy security for themselves by getting closer to the enemies of Islam and Iran,” then-President Hassan Rouhani said. He warned that “unfortunately, the United Arab Emirates has made a big mistake and we hope it would change its wrong tack. We warn them against giving Israel a foothold in the region, then they will be treated differently.”

Bahrain’s strengthening of ties with Israel will likely be seen in Iran as a move intended to harm Iran’s interests. Bennett himself openly pointed to this. In an interview with Bahrain’s Al-Ayam newspaper, he said, “Israel and Bahrain are dealing with major security challenges that stem from the same source, which is the Islamic Republic of Iran. Iran destabilizes the entire region.”

He added, “We are fighting Iran and its henchmen in the region day and night and we will help our friends in promoting peace, security and stability, whenever we are asked.”

He was responding to a question on the importance of a rare security agreement between Bahrain and Israel.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian, during a recent phone call with his Emirati counterpart, Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, stressed that “the presence of the Zionist regime [Israel] in the region is a threat to all countries and the region itself” and called for efforts to be made to prevent any foothold of the regime to prevent crises in West Asia.

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The tribunal has also ruled that the move was politically driven, Honarmand added.

He said that according to the verdict, Bahrain must release $1.7 billion, as well as $240 million as a fine, along with litigation costs and the fund’s interest before and after the litigation.

Bahrain had frozen $1.7 billion of Iranian money in Manama. With this verdict, they have to unfreeze the Iranian fund.

Bahrain’s High Criminal Court had accused the Central Bank of Iran, along with a number of other Iranian banks and their officials, of being involved in “money laundering” activities.

The Bahraini public prosecutor had sentenced the defendants to various terms of imprisonment as well as financial punishment.

The CBI reported on August 3 that it began legal procedures to pursue action against baseless charges of the Bahraini High Criminal Court.

The central bank, based on the agreement on encouragement and mutual support of investment between the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the government of the Kingdom of Bahrain approved on 2003, began its legal action against the government of Bahrain to repay funds invested in banks in that country.

According to the central bank, based on the country’s monetary and banking law, managing the country’s foreign exchange reserves is one of the duties of the central bank, and this bank had been investing in the banks of Bahrain.

But since the signing of the JCPOA agreement, which prompted some Persian Gulf states to oppose the agreement, then officials of the bank, while anticipating the prospects of political relations, withdrew significant amounts of their investment deposits from Bahrain, but after severing diplomatic relations with the Bahraini government in January 2015, Bahraini banks avoided reimbursing the remaining foreign exchange reserves of this bank and stopped cooperation.

Despite numerous correspondences and follow-ups, they even blocked the use of the mentioned assets to pay for Hajj pilgrimage and humanitarian affairs including releasing money to control the coronavirus pandemic.

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Riyadh announced on Friday that is it was giving Lebanon’s ambassador 48 hours to leave the country. It also recalled its ambassador to Lebanon.

“The government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia announces recalling its ambassador to Lebanon for consultations and requests the departure of the Lebanese ambassador to the Kingdom within the next (48) hours,” the Saudi foreign ministry said in a statement.

Furthermore, Riyadh also stopped all commercial ties with Lebanon in what appeared a purposeful design to push Lebanon into a deeper economic crisis. “Due to the importance of taking all necessary measures to protect the security of the kingdom and its people, it has been decided to stop all Lebanese imports into the Kingdom,” the Saudi statement noted.

Kuwait and Bahrain also followed suit. Kuwait announced Saturday that it was recalling its ambassador to Lebanon and giving the Lebanese ambassador to Kuwait 48 hours to leave the country. A Kuwaiti foreign ministry statement said the decision was made in solidarity with Saudi Arabia.

Bahrain also did the same thing. “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announces that it has asked the Ambassador of the Lebanese Republic to the Kingdom of Bahrain to leave the Kingdom within the next 48 hours, against the background of a series of unacceptable and offensive statements issued by Lebanese officials in recent times,” Bahrain’s foreign ministry said in a statement.

The episode began after a video statement from a popular television anchor-turned-politician sparked a heated debate on social media platforms in the Arab world. The video featured George Kordahi inveighing against the Saudi-Emirati war in Yemen a few weeks before becoming Lebanon’s information minister.

Kordahi made controversial statements accusing Saudi Arabia and the UAE of attacking Yemen and said that the Ansarullah movement is defending their country. The remarks quickly went viral on social media given the fact that Kordahi had worked for Saudi and Emirati television networks for a long time.

To lessen the effect of his remarks, the Lebanese minister stated that the interview was old and was conducted on August 5 and that what he said about the futility of the Yemeni war “was made out of conviction, not in defense of Yemen, but also out of love for Saudi Arabia and the UAE.”

The Lebanese government of Najib Mikati tried to avert the crisis with no success. Mikati said Kordahi’s remarks have nothing to do with government policy. Kordahi himself sought to defuse tensions. “Whoever wants to characterize my stance as one against Saudi Arabia, that accusation is rejected. I have never attacked or insulted Saudi Arabia,” he said, adding: “As for the UAE, I consider it my second home.”

Some believe that the Saudi moves against Lebanon were a long time coming and that Kordahi’s statements only provided the Saudis an excuse to move ahead with their punitive measures against Lebanon, knowing the crisis-stricken country can no longer bear more economic pressure.

Saudi Arabia has turned its back on Lebanon ever since at least 2018 when they mounted pressure on then Prime Minister Saad Hariri to undermine Hezbollah’s sway. But they failed to weaken Hezbollah, they started imposing harsh economic restrictions on Lebanon while refraining from giving any financial aid.

Since then, pundits believe, the Saudis and their allies are pursuing a “freefall for all” project. In other words, they seek to bring the Lebanese state to total collapse in a bid to undermine Hezbollah. The Kordahi episode, therefore, is only one step in that direction.

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The central bank, based on the agreement on encouragement and mutual support of investment between the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the government of the Kingdom of Bahrain approved on 2003, began its legal action against the government of Bahrain to repay funds invested in banks in that country on Monday.

According to the central bank, based on the country’s monetary and banking law, managing the country’s foreign exchange reserves is one of the duties of the central bank, and this bank has been investing in the banks of Bahrain.

But since the signing of the JCPOA agreement, which prompted some Persian Gulf states to oppose the agreement, then officials of the bank, while anticipating the prospects of political relations, withdrew significant amounts of their investment deposits from Bahrain, but after severing diplomatic relations with the Bahraini government in In January 2015, Bahraini banks avoided reimbursing the remaining foreign exchange reserves of this bank and stopped cooperation.

Despite numerous correspondences and follow-ups, they even blocked the use of the mentioned assets to pay for Hajj pilgrimage and humanitarian affairs including releasing money to control the coronavirus pandemic.

Therefore, due to the political, biased and discriminatory approach of the government of Bahrain, an investment lawsuit against the Bahraini government under the agreement on encouragement and mutual support of investment between the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the government of the Kingdom of Bahrain was placed on the agenda of the central bank.

Relevant legal proceedings began on Monday.

In a statement on Saturday afternoon Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh strongly condemned baseless accusations of a Bahraini court against the CBI, saying that the judicial process was flawed.

In response to the action of the Bahraini High Criminal Court against the CBI and several other banks of Iran and fining them on false charges, Khatibzadeh stated that Iran rejects claims by the Bahraini court.

The spokesman added, “The judicial process in the courts of Bahrain against the central bank and Iranian individuals and banks is so distorted that we do not have any official and reliable source to know the details of the cases, except for some media sources. Therefore, any announcement in this regard is based on the news published in the media.”

Khatibzadeh emphasized that the general purpose behind such baseless accusations and claims against the central bank, Bank Saderat and Bank Melli and some of the managers of these banks are based on political motives and have no legal value.

According to media reports, Bahrain’s High Criminal Court has accused the CBI, along with a number of other Iranian banks and their officials, of being involved in “money laundering” activities.

The Bahraini public prosecutor has sentenced the defendants to various terms of imprisonment as well as financial punishment.

The CBI and the other Iranian banks were handed fines of 1 million Bahraini dinars each, and that confiscation was ordered of laundered funds.
Bahrain’s public prosecutor and state-owned news service claimed that the prosecution was “the largest money laundering case in the history of the kingdom.”

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In response to the action of the Bahraini High Criminal Court against the CBI and several other banks of Iran and fining them on false charges, the Khatibzadeh stated that Iran rejects claims by the Bahraini court.

The spokesman added, “The judicial process in the courts of Bahrain against the central bank and Iranian individuals and banks is so distorted that we do not have any official and reliable source to know the details of the cases, except for some media sources. Therefore, any announcement in this regard is based on the news published in the media.”

Khatibzadeh emphasized that the general purpose behind such baseless accusations and claims against the central bank, Saderat and Melli banks and some of the managers of these banks are based on political motives and have no legal value.

According to media reports, Bahrain’s High Criminal Court has accused the CBI, along with a number of other Iranian banks and their officials, of being involved in “money laundering” activities.

The Bahraini public prosecutor has sentenced the defendants to various terms of imprisonment as well as financial punishment.

The CBI and the other Iranian banks were handed fines of 1 million Bahraini dinars each, and that confiscation was ordered of laundered funds.

Bahrain’s public prosecutor and state-owned news service claimed that the prosecution was “the largest money laundering case in the history of the kingdom.”

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The MOU was signed by the RAI Head Saeed Rasouli and the managing directors of the mentioned companies on Saturday in Tehran, IRIB reported.

Based on the mentioned MOU, the consortium comprised of the said companies will carry out the design, construction, and financing for the signaling of the Tehran-Garmsar suburban railway over a 24-month period.

The signing ceremony was also attended by the Transport and Urban Development Minister Mohammad Eslami.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Eslami noted that following the implementation of the mentioned project, the signaling of other railway lines in the country will be put on the agenda of the ministry and RAI. Suburban railways near large cities will be the priority for the signaling, Eslami said.

According to the minister, attracting private sector investment for the financing of railway projects, using the maximum capacity of domestic companies in the construction and development of rail transportation technologies, and increasing the share of railways in the country’s transportation are among the goals of the signed MOU.

RAI Head Saeed Rasouli had earlier said that Iran is currently among the top eight countries regarding the technology of railway signaling systems.

“Currently, two advanced railway signaling systems have been created inside the country, which marks Iran as one of the eight advanced countries with this technology,” Rasouli said in the opening ceremony of the 7th International Exhibition of Rail Transportation, Related Industries & Equipment of Iran in June 2019.

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“Since the people do not find anything to persuade themselves to stop their protest movement and are witnessing a surge in the [regime’s] policy of repression, dictatorship and marginalization, they are pressing ahead with their uprising, whatever the cost may be,” Sheikh Qassim said in a statement released on Monday and carried by the Bahrain Mirror news website.

“There would be no way out of the current situation unless the government reaches an agreement with the opposition to draw up a new constitution and found relevant institutions so as to protect the citizens’ rights and recognize their sovereign position in the country’s politics,” the senior cleric pointed out.

Sheikh Qassim further said reforms must be undertaken at a pace satisfactory to the public and must guarantee the authority, dignity, comfort, security and interests of all.

“There is a serious political and legal crisis in Bahrain, the consequences of which will be dangerous for both the nation and the government itself,” the distinguished cleric said.

He denounced the Manama regime over the “absurd” policy of putting more people behind bars, saying such a practice will not even benefit the “unjust political goal” being pursued by the Al Khalifah regime.

“If the purpose of populating prisons with thousands of inmates is to tone down the demands for political and civil rights to mere calls for the release of prisoners, the calls among the prisoners themselves for the nation’s rights [to be guaranteed] will definitely thwart such a conspiracy,” Sheikh Qassem said.

“The people of Bahrain are well aware of the fact that the solution to the country’s crisis lies only in a genuine improvement of the situation and establishment of a political relationship between the nation and the government on the basis of new and viable principles,” the cleric said.

 “Today, the government is distancing itself more and more from people. This will exert a lot of pressure on it and weaken its position both domestically and internationally, even among the friendly countries which it relies on.,” Sheikh Qassem said.

Demonstrations in Bahrain have been held on a regular basis ever since a popular uprising began in mid-February 2011.

The participants demand that the Al Khalifah regime relinquish power and allow a just system representing all Bahrainis to be established.

Manama, however, has gone to great lengths to clamp down on any sign of dissent.

On March 5, 2017, Bahrain’s parliament approved the trial of civilians at military tribunals in a measure blasted by human rights campaigners as being tantamount to imposition of an undeclared martial law countrywide.

King Hamad ratified the constitutional amendment on April 3, 2017.

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The Britain-based and Arabic-language Bahrain al-Youm news agency, citing Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, a human rights activist and director of advocacy at the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD) NGO, reported that prison guards stormed into Building 13 of the detention facility over the weekend and assaulted the inmates.

The activist added that blood stains could be seen all along the corridor of the ward as the attack was filmed by closed-circuit television cameras.

Wadaei then expressed concerns that the victims – all political prisoners – could be subjected to further torture in other buildings at the prison, or at the so-called Royal Academy of Policing, where torture has been widely reported.

A Bahraini opposition figure and former legislator says more than 3,500 opponents of the Al Khalifah regime are subjected to various forms of torture at prisons across the country.

Jalal Firooz, a member of the opposition al-Wefaq National Islamic Society, told the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) on Saturday that torture, overnight raids, arrest campaigns, human rights violations and revocations of citizenship continue unabated in the Persian Gulf country.

“The popular Bahraini uprising has not been suppressed. It is like fire under the ashes. People continue to stage nightly demonstrations and the rallies have not stopped,” he said.

Firooz added, “Westerners tend to ignore the Al Khalifah regime’s crimes. If there is any pressure, it is merely aimed at extorting money (from Bahraini authorities) and striking arms deals.”

Demonstrations in Bahrain have been held on a regular basis ever since a popular uprising began in mid-February 2011.

The participants demand that the Al Khalifah regime relinquish power and allow a just system representing all Bahrainis to be established.Manama, however, has gone to great lengths to clamp down on any sign of dissent.

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