Hours after Saudi Arabia announced the severing of diplomatic ties with Iran, Bahrain similarly expelled Iranian diplomats from the country and cut off diplomatic ties, reported Bahrain News Agency. Bahrain has given Iranian diplomats 48 hours to leave the country and has labelled them ‘persona non grata’. In a statement, Bahrain condemned the attack on the Saudi Arabian embassy in Tehran and the Saudi consulate in Mashhad as “cowardly”, adding that the attacks “violated international treaties” and inflamed sectarian tensions. Similarly, Sudan has expelled Iran’s Ambassador from Khartoum and denounced Iran’s continued interference in the Middle East. However, it is unclear whether Sudan has cut off all diplomatic ties. Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates summoned the Iranian Ambassador in Abu Dhabi to condemn the storming and torching of the Saudi embassy in Tehran. Earlier in the day, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the Arab League expressed support for Saudi Arabia’s fight against terrorism and condemned the attacks on Saudi diplomatic premises. Tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran flared after Saudi Arabia’s Interior Ministry announced the execution of 47 people, including influential Shiite Sheikh Al-Nimr. Protests against Saudi Arabia’s actions erupted…
Bahrain Expels Iranian Diplomats, Breaks off All Diplomatic Ties
January 4, 2016
