Manama: Bahrain’s foreign minister Monday insisted that the Gulf troops would stay in his country until threats from Iran have eased.
Shaikh Khalid Bin Ahmad Al Khalifa told reporters on the sidelines of an anti-piracy conference in Dubai that the GCC military units were needed to counter a “sustained campaign” by Iran in Bahrain.
Saudi Arabian and other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) units from the Peninsula Shield, the military arm of the six-member alliance, entered Bahrain last month following a request from Manama to help guard major installations in the country hit by weeks of security unrest.
The move infuriated Iran and Tehran has been calling for the departure of the GCC units and urged the UN and other organisations to put pressure on Manama and Riyadh.
Bahrain and Saudi Arabia denounced the Iranian moves and slammed Tehran for its “blatant interference in GCC domestic affairs”.
The tense situation was compounded earlier this month after a criminal court in Kuwait sentenced two Iranians to death for their alleged role in a spy ring working for Iran.
Tehran denied the charges and its president said there was nothing to spy on in Kuwait and charged the Gulf countries of serving US interests.
A GCC foreign ministers' meeting in Riyadh on Sunday called on the United Nations and the international community to halt “flagrant Iranian interference” in Gulf affairs.
Riyadh earlier in the day threatened to recall its diplomats from Tehran in case Iran did not take the necessary measures to ensure their safety.
The statement was issued after Iranian students demonstrated outside the Saudi embassy in Tehran to condemn Riyadh’s military presence in Bahrain.
