Bahrain seeks to normalize relations with Iran after eight-year hiatus

Shafaq News/ Bahrain has sent a message to Iran to normalize relations after a hiatus of more than eight years, an Iranian government official said.

In a televised interview on Friday, Mohammad Jamshidi, deputy chief of staff for political affairs to the Iranian president, said, "Bahrain has sent a message to Iran through Russia to normalize relations with Iran," he stated.

Last week, King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifah of Bahrain, during a visit to China, announced Bahrain's intention to restore diplomatic relations with neighboring Iran.

"We believe in the principle of good neighborliness and non-interference in internal affairs," King Hamad said during a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing. "We are working to restore diplomatic relations with Iran as a neighbor," he added.

In a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on May 23, King Hamad reiterated Bahrain's desire to improve relations with Iran and saw no reason to delay the restoration of diplomatic ties.

Recently, Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif al-Zayani visited Tehran to offer condolences on the passing of Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi, who, along with seven others, died in a helicopter crash in northwest Iran on May 19.

Notably, Bahrain severed diplomatic relations with Iran on January 4, 2016, following Saudi Arabia's lead after Iranian protesters stormed its diplomatic mission in Iran. The protests were triggered by the execution of prominent Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr Baqir al-Nimr by the Saudi government.

In March 2023, Iran and Saudi Arabia reached an agreement in Beijing to restore their diplomatic relations and re-open embassies and missions.