Bahrain Mirror: Bahraini Interior Minister accused Iran of "biological aggression" by covering up the spread of the coronavirus and failing to stamp Bahraini travelers' passports.

"With this behavior, Iran has allowed the disease to travel abroad, and in my estimation this constitutes a form of biological aggression that is criminalized by international law, as it has put in danger our safety and health and that of others," Bahraini Interior Minister Rashid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa said on Twitter.

In an apparent response, Amir Abdollahian, special aide to Iran's parliamentary speaker, tweeted: "America, which rules Bahrain through the presence of its Fifth Fleet, is a major cause of biological warfare and initially denied the existence of coronavirus."

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Abbas Mousavi rejected Riyadh's claim about the reason why the passports of Saudi nationals arriving in Iran are not stamped. He said "We have already made it clear that the Islamic Republic of Iran's regulations on issuing electronic visa are equal for the nationals of all countries except for the holders of British, American and Canadian passports, and attaching labels and issuing entry and exit stamps (in the passports) are avoided in conformity with the visa policy of many advanced countries."

Mousavi underlined that such a policy has nothing to do with the citizens of any particular country or with the coronavirus, and advised Saudi Arabia to refrain from politicizing the coronavirus disease and pinning the blame on others in this regard.

Arabic Version