Bahrain cuts diplomatic ties with Tehran Monday Jan 04,2016

 

Bahrain has announced it is severing diplomatic ties with Iran, following a similar move by Saudi Arabia

 

Saudi Arabia on Sunday gave Iranian diplomats two days to leave after a row over the Saudi execution of a top Shia Muslim cleric and a subsequent attack on its embassy in Tehran.

Saudi Arabia and Iran are the key Sunni and Shia powers in the region and back opposing sides in Syria and Yemen.

Bahrain is ruled by a Sunni Muslim king but its population is majority Shia.

The kingdom on Monday Jan 04,2016 gave Iranian diplomats 48 hours to leave the country

Bahrain accused Iran of "increasing, flagrant and dangerous meddling" in the internal affairs of Gulf and Arab states.
It said the attack on the Saudi embassy was part of a "very dangerous pattern of sectarian policies that should be confronted... in order to preserve security and stability in the entire region".

The United Arab Emirates has said it is downgrading its diplomatic representation in Tehran and will cut the number of Iranian diplomats in the country.