Manama: Bahrain’s foreign ministry has summoned the Iranian Chargé d’Affaires to protest formally against “unacceptable statements” by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

During his meeting with Mohammad Reza Babaei, the ministry undersecretary Abdullah Abdul Lateef Abdullah said Bahrain rejected the statements as “unacceptable” and as “a blatant interference in the internal affairs of the Kingdom of Bahrain.”

On Friday, Khamenei said that Iran would help oppressed people in the region and spoke against Saudi Arabia for its role leading a coalition of several states conducting operations against Al Houthi militiamen in Yemen to restore the legitimate government.

“Yemen, Bahrain and Palestine are oppressed, and we protect oppressed people as much as we can,” IRNA quoted Khamenei as saying.

The Bahraini official on Sunday said that “such statements disregard the United Nations, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and international laws that emphasise respect for the sovereignty of all countries and the principles of independence.”

Reiterating the need to “immediately stop such irresponsible remarks”, he added that Iran must respect the sovereignty of other countries and focus on the issues of the Iranian people and affairs.

“Bahrain is committed to good-neighbourly relations and non-interference in the affairs of others,” he said, quoted by Bahrain News Agency (BNA).

“Bahrain is always keen on developing positive relations and constructive cooperation with all countries, and will not accept any interference in its internal affairs,” he said.

On Friday, Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid Bin Ahmad Al Khalifa responded on his Twitter account to the remarks by Khamenei.

“I advise Khamenei to stop his malice against Arabs in their countries, and to pay attention to himself from his people’s curse against him. I remind him that lying is one of the characteristics of hypocrites,” he posted to his 213,389 followers on the microblog.

Relations between Bahrain and Iran have plummeted in March 2011 after Manama accused Tehran of interference in its domestic affairs.

Both countries pulled out their ambassadors, but while Bahrain reinstated its envoy in 2012 after an 18-month absence, Iran has kept a charge d’affaires at the top of its diplomatic mission.