Manama: Bahrain has affirmed its full support for the strategy announced by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the steep list of demands that should be included in a nuclear treaty with Iran to replace the Obama-era deal.

“The strategy reflects the determination to confront the danger of Iranian policies that undermine security and stability in the region, overcome the shortcomings of the [earlier] nuclear agreement and prevent the dangers of Iran’s ballistic missile programme,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

Bahrain praised US efforts to strengthen regional and international peace and security as well as its relentless efforts to take all possible measures to prevent the spread of chaos and tension in the region and to solve its crises, it added.

“Bahrain considers itself on the same page with the US in the face of the Iranian threat and in addressing Iran’s attempts to spread violence and terrorism. Bahrain stresses the need for Iran to respond positively to all efforts that aim at achieving peace and resolving conflicts in the region and to make it free of nuclear weapons and all weapons of mass destruction.”

The ministry said Iran should put an immediate end to its support of terrorist militias, adhere to international laws and norms and stop interference in the internal affairs of the states in the region, the ministry added.

Bahrain has always maintained that the agreement between Iran and the P5+1 group (US, UK, France, Russia, China and Germany) on the Iranian nuclear programme in July 2015 did not eliminate all sources of tension in the region.

Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid Bin Ahmad Al Khalifa has said at several meetings that the deal did not address the real problems since Iran continued to interfere in the internal affairs of neighbouring countries, fuelling unrest and destabilising the region.

Bahrain has regularly expressed frustration that despite hopes that the agreement might contribute to the security and stability of the region, it touched only one of the future problems and ignored the real issue of the present time — Iran’s use of all illegal and illegitimate means to destabilise the security and peace of the region.

Shaikh Khalid has also charged that Iran exploited extremist groups, provided safe haven for fugitives, opened training camps for terrorist groups and smuggled arms and explosives in quantities that were enough to demolish entire cities.