GENEVA : Bahrain accused Iran on Thursday of fomenting deadly violence in the kingdom, and a Tehran official accused the island state of torturing and imprisoning its critics.
The clash at the UN Human Rights Council came after three policemen were killed on Monday by a bomb at a protest in Daih, west of the capital Manama, during a procession of mourners for a man who died in custody last week.
“This is terrorism. Premeditated. Pure and simple,” Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Khalid Bin Ahmed al-Khalifa told the Geneva forum, adding that 11 were injured in the incident.
Iran denies having links to Bahrain’s opposition but does champion its cause. “The violence we see in Bahrain is directly supported by elements of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Khalifa said.
Khalifa called on Iran to “respect the principles of non-intervention, peaceful coexistence and good neighbourliness enshrined in the UN Charter”.
Bahrain had always sought friendship with the Islamic Republic and continues to act in good faith, he said. “But we will not tolerate any foreign actor to compromise our security and stability.”