Bahrain Mirror: Former Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister and former envoy to Manama, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, deemed Bahrain's decision to strip Bahrain's Shia spiritual leader Sheikh Isa Qassim of his citizenship partly a result of "Manama's secret relations with the Zionist regime," which will "lead to a new stage of internal crisis."

Abdollahian underlined that the endorsement of a decree by Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa to revoke the nationality of this senior Shiite cleric would only deepen the crisis in the tiny Gulf country.

He further stressed that this move "will undoubtedly lead the country towards a new stage of internal crisis and confrontation against the people."

The former Iranian envoy to Manama underscored Sheikh Qassim's significant and peaceful role in the island kingdom, describing him as a respectful courageous cleric who strongly believed in democracy and denounced violence.

"It seems that these decisions are partly the result of the Bahraini rulers' reliance on foreign parties and Manama's secret relations with the Zionist regime which will harm the Al Khalifa regime harshly," Abdollahian told FNA on Monday (July 3, 2016).

"The Bahraini government should know that there is only a political solution to the problem in the country and these inefficient methods will not help resolve the real crisis existing between the people and the government," he added.

Arabic Version