Iran dismisses Bahraini FM’s allegations

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marziyeh Afkham dismissed the recent claims raised by Bahraini Foreign Minister Khalid bin Ahmad bin Muhammad Al Khalifa against Iran as baseless. The Bahraini foreign minister has once again accused the Islamic Republic of interfering in the internal affairs of the tiny Persian Gulf island. Afkham pointed to Khalid bin Ahmad’s recent statements concerning Iran, and said, “The positive response of the Bahraini government to its people’s legitimate demands will prevent it from accusing other countries.” The Iranian foreign ministry spokeswoman voiced regret that the Bahraini regime continues repeating its old allegations, and said, “Confidence building measures, choosing political instead of security approaches and creating the necessary prerequisites for dialogue are solutions to Bahrain’s problems.” Anti-government protesters have been holding peaceful demonstrations across Bahrain since mid-February 2011, calling for an end to the al-Khalifa dynasty. Violence against the defenseless people escalated after a Saudi-led conglomerate of police, security and military forces from the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (PGCC) member states - Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Qatar - were dispatched to the tiny Persian Gulf kingdom on March 2011, to help Manama crack down on peaceful protestors. So far, tens of protesters have been killed, hundreds have gone missing and thousands of others have been injured.