Bahraini societies slam Iran over Abu Mousa action

Manama: Two Bahraini political societies have condemned Iran's decision to open two administrative offices on the UAE island of Abu Mousa, saying that it consecrated the occupation of UAE territory and calling for a common Arab stance against the move.

The Nationalist Democratic Rally Society, a political group with Baathist tendencies, and the Islamic Nationalist Arab Movement, said that Tehran's decision was a dangerous provocation that exacerbated tension in the volatile region and urged Iran to put an end to its “drive to export its crises.''

“Observers can clearly note the recent increase in the Iranian provocations to the countries in the region whenever Tehran wants to export its domestic and international tensions and deflect attention from its confrontation with the West over its nuclear issue,'' the Islamic Nationalist Arab Movement said in a statement distributed in Manama. “At the same time, all the Arabian Gulf states have been patient and serene in their dealings with all the issues caused by Tehran and which are detrimental to the interests of the region,'' said the movement, a coalition of mainly nationalist activists.
Confrontational rhetoric

The movement said that all Arab civil society organisations should “support the UAE stance on ending the Iranian occupation of its legitimate territory and its calls for open dialogue or legal arbitration in the International Court of Justice.''

“The occupation of the islands has now been going on for 37 years during which the Arab states have been outstandingly serene and patient as they have been seeking a diplomatic solution. We are seriously wary of further provocations against our Arab nation,'' the political association said.
Tehran on Tuesday insisted that the international court “had no jurisdiction'' in the dispute.

Condemning Iran's decision as “fully compatible with the US plans to occupy the region'', the Nationalist Democratic Rally Society demanded that Tehran put an end to its “provocative moves and confrontational rhetoric.''

“We strongly condemn the Iranian move on the island as well as its statements about Bahrain being part of Iran and the threats to close the Hormuz Strait, the vital waterway for the Arabian Gulf states,'' the society said.
Iran's military chief of staff last month said that Tehran would close the strait to foreign traffic if Tehran was targeted by the international community or its interests in the region were threatened.

On August 4, the head of Iran's Revolutionary Guards said that Tehran would easily close the waterway to oil shipments and warned that its new long-range naval weapon could sink enemy ships nearly 200 miles away.