Bahraini regret over raising Khameini pictures in Ashoura celebrations

Bahrain has expressed its regret that a certain Bahraini group raised the pictures of the Iranian leader Ali Khamaeni during the celebrations of Ashoura ( a religious occasion for the Shiite community) celebrated recently.

A Bahraini official said that the deputy prime minister and the foreign minister Sheikh Muhammad Bin Mubarak al-Khalifa discussed with the Iranian ambassador to Manama "the violations that took place during the celebrations," during which he stressed that "such behaviors are damaging for the relations between the two countries." The Bahraini official described that raising the pictures of Khamaeni aims at "provocation," noting that small groups linked to Iran was behind raising the pictures, noting that Khamaeni is a religious clergy and a political leader and that raising his pictures by Bahraini citizens is a matter that raises many inquiries on the question of loyalty of these citizens.

Worthy mentioning that the Bahraini minister of the interior Sheikh Rashid Bin Abdullah al-Khalifa briefed the Shoura council and the parliament on Sunday on the violations which took place and announced reservations on raising the pictures and posters and chanting "imported slogans."

However, Bahraini- Iranian relations witnessed notable improvements in recent years following the tension between the two countries over Bahrain's accusations of Iran of interfering in its internal affairs in particular during the acts of protests that took place in Manama during the 1990s.