Manama: Bahrain on Monday summoned the Iranian charge d’affaires to protest against “attributing baseless information to Bahraini officials” and against “interfering in domestic issues.”

“Bahrain is very upset with the insistence of Iran on attributing false statements to Bahraini officials and using the media to spread the lies and allegations,” Hamad Al Amer, the foreign ministry undersecretary for regional affairs and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), told Mahdi Islami, the Iranian charge d’affaires. “Such actions cause sedition and divisions and incite Bahrain’s sects against one another,” the official said.

The Bahraini official also demanded an end to the Iranian interference in Bahrain’s domestic affairs and to incitement through its media and relations and contacts with some forces in the country.

Iran should also be committed to international diplomatic rules, international relations, the principle of good neighbourliness and the United Nations charter which reject all forms of direct or indirect interference in the internal affairs of other countries under any form. They also ban any form of political, religious or media incitement, including lies, allegations and jamming radio and television programming.

On Saturday, Shaikh Khalid Bin Ali Al Khalifa, the justice minister, said that “some diplomatic missions were still communicating with religious leaders in Bahrain and conveying to them the guidance of regional theocrats”.

“These diplomatic missions provided them with plans to move on the domestic scene. It is unfortunate that some religious figures have responded to those directions without the slightest respect for the country which became their homeland and granted them the citizenship. There is information that a meeting was held recently between an Iranian diplomat and a religious figure,” the minister said.

On Sunday, the office of Shaikh Eisa Qasim, the top religious leader within the Shiite community, issued a statement saying that he supported any local or foreign initiative that could contribute to reaching a fair solution to the political situation.

The office said that “Iran’s consul visited Shaikh Eisa Qasim in his home after the diplomat requested the meeting to convey a wish formulated by Manama at a meeting between the foreign ministers of Bahrain and Iran on the sidelines of the Makkah summit.”

“The Bahraini party requested Iran’s mediation to reach a solution to the political crisis,” the office said.

However, Shaikh Khalid Bin Ahmad Al Khalifa, the foreign minister, rejected the claim and denied any request by Bahrain from Iran to mediate for an end to the crisis.

“Any discussion on Bahraini matters should be between the partners in the country through an open and serious national dialogue, and not behind closed doors,” Shaikh Khalid said.

“The statement issued by the office of Ayatollah Eisa Qasim included misleading information that we had heard from the Iranians and denied them then. Bahrain did not request the mediation of anyone on Bahraini matters. I said this to Minister [Ali] Salehi at the Tehran summit and to the Iranian charge d’affaires. The office of Eisa Qasim should avoid repeating Iran’s false claims in order to distance itself from accusations of links with foreign countries,” Shaikh Khalid posted on his Twitter account.

Relations between Manama and Tehran plummeted to their lowest level in 2011, and the two countries pulled their ambassador from each other’s capitals.

However, Bahrain reinstated its head of mission in Iran, but the Iranians have not reciprocated.