Iran opposes military intervention in Bahrain
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Iran on Tuesday opposed the foreign military intervention in Bahrain to confront the protests but Manama slammed its comments.
The foreign military intervention in Bahrain to confront the protests is "unacceptable," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said Tuesday in his weekly press briefing after the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) reportedly sent forces to Bahrain to maintain order and security.
The military intervention in Bahrain will further complicate the situation, he added.
The Bahraini people have "legitimate demands that are expressed peacefully," Mehmanparast said, adding that violence should be avoided in the face of their demands and it is expected that they would be met in "correct ways."
The GCC, a six-member regional bloc consisting Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, United Arab Emirates and Oman, would protect strategic facilities, such as oil, electricity and water installations along with financial and banking facilities.
This came after Bahraini police clashed on Sunday with a number of Shiite protesters in one of the most violent confrontations since seven protesters were killed last month.
Referring to the surprise visit of the U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates to Manama on Saturday, Mehmanparast said that "in any region where the U.S. military officials attend, we witness the suppression of people."
Iran summoned Swiss Ambassador to Tehran Livia Leu Agosti on Tuesday over the U.S. support for interference of foreign forces in Bahrain and "baseless" remarks by U.S. Gates against the Islamic Republic during an unannounced visit to the Bahraini, the local satellite Press TV said.
The Swiss Embassy in Tehran represents U.S. interests in Iran since Tehran and Washington severed diplomatic relations in 1980.
"The U.S. support for military intervention is in clear contradiction with international regulations and the United Nations Charter. So, the Islamic Republic holds the United States responsible for dangerous consequences of such illegal attitude," a Foreign Ministry official was quoted by Press TV as saying.
According to the report, the Islamic Republic also summoned Bahrain's charge d'affaires over the GCC military intervention.
Bahrain "immediately" called home its ambassador to Iran on Tuesday after Tehran slammed the dispatch of the Gulf troops to the country, Bahrain's official news agency reported.
In a statement, a deputy foreign minister said the kingdom's ambassador has been called for consultation.
The Bahrain diplomat said Iran's remarks ran counter to the norms of good neighborhood between the countries, slamming such remarks as unacceptable meddling into Bahrain's domestic affairs.
Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet, is ruled by the Sunni Muslim al-Khalifa family where the majority Shiite population said they faced discrimination in jobs and other services. The kingdom denies such claims.
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