Iranian-Arab crisis due to Iran's attacks against Iraq
Iraq-Iran, Politics, 10/3/1997

Once again tensions erupted between the Arab Gulf countries and Iran after Iranian fighter planes attacked Iraqi lands in a new development in the region's affairs.

After the assurances given by the new Iranian President Mohammed Khatemi to the Gulf countries and his promises to turn a new page in Iranian relations with them, he surprised the world with this attack against Arab lands.

But commentators found that this attack did not occur suddenly, as high-ranking Iranian officials witnessed military exercises in which infantry forces and armored tanks supported by the fighter planes attacked sham enemy positions and cut the connections between command headquarters and enemy forces .

These exercises were the final touches of the recent Iranian attack against Iraq, though they were expected to be directed against Israel. Press reports were full of tension and Israel declared that Iran is the archenemy of Israel as the Arab countries suffer from many differences.

While the official news agencies and papers of the Gulf countries reported the news broadcast by the Iranian Islamic News Agency (IRNA) last Thursday which declared that Manama and Tehran will exchange ambassadors after the Iranian foreign minister Kamal Kherazy and Bahraini foreign minister Mohammed Bin Khalifa met in New York during the meeting of the General Assembly of the UN, Bahrain did not comment on the news. Iran and Bahrain withdrew their ambassadors from each other after a crisis in relations between the two countries one year ago.

Diplomatic sources in Manama said that Iran realizes that Bahrain will not enter into a press engagement to confirm or refute news amidst the progress achieved in the relations between Iran and the Gulf countries including Bahrain.

Sources mentioned that the reason that made Manama reduce its diplomatic representation with Iran are complex and difficult to be solved in one meeting between the foreign ministers of the two countries.

Bahrain declared on 3 June 1996 that it stopped a terrorist plot financed by Iran to topple the government in Bahrain, accordingly it decided to reduce the diplomatic representation with Iran to the Charge de Affairs. At that time the Bahraini Minister of the Interior Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa disclosed the details of the terrorist plan masterminded by Iran to topple the government.

Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk Al Shara'a succeeded in stopping the press campaigns between Iran and Bahrain in July 1996.

Previous Stories:
  Saddam: peace with Iran and others with sword at hand   (9/29/1997)
  Better Bahrain-Iran relations   (8/28/1997)
  Iranian rebels attacked in Iraq   (7/31/1997)

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