Iran is calling for immediate UN intervention in Bahrain to “end the massacre of the people of Bahrain.” Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi sent a letter to the UN Secretary General and Security Council urging immediate action.
Salehi writes that Iran cannot remain indifferent to the developments in Bahrain or the possible outcomes, given the longtime historical and cultural connections between the two countries.
“Continuation of the current situation and failure to resolve the crisis in Bahrain in a just, fair, and logical manner that attempts to meet the people’s demands may lead to a complete loss of control and complete instability in the Persian Gulf region,” Salehi writes.
Salehi described “unimaginable methods of crackdown on the people” in Bahrain such as “raiding homes, kidnapping, destroying mosques, expelling workers and employees and completely disrupting daily lives of the people of the country.”
Salehi critcized the UN security Council for its inadequate reaction to the situation in Bahrain. “In similar cases we have observed a different course of actions by the Security Council in other countries,” he wrote.
The Iranian foreign minister insists a military intervention is not required, saying the presence of foreign military troops complicates the situation.
Bahrainis have been protesting against the government since February 14, and when they could not be quieted, the government called on its partners in the Gulf Cooperation Council to help crush the protests.
Saudi and UAE troops are currently clamping down on protesters in Bahrain. Dozens of protesters have been killed, hundreds have disappeared and thousands have been arrested in the past weeks.
While the Bahraini government accuses Iran of interfering in its internal affairs, the Bahraini opposition has denied any ties with Iran and has urged Iran not to meddle in the situation.
Bahrain’s opposition has demanded constitutional reform and an end to the rule of the current prime minister, who has been in power since 1971.
