After Suleimani, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Also Threatens Bahrain’s Government

Following an unprecedented statement by Qassem Suleimani, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards has warned Bahrain’s monarchy to abandon “Zionist-friendly adventures,” otherwise it will face “the fate of executed dictators in other Islamic countries.”

The statement released by the Revolutionary Guards on Tuesday (June 21) is filled with warnings and threats. The military institution condemned the revocation of citizenship of Sheikh Isa Qassem and said that this measure will “intensify the torch of Bahrain’s Islamic revolution and accelerate the collapse” of its government.

The Revolutionary Guards described Bahrain’s monarchy’s action as “inhumane and contrary to citizenship rights” and did not hesitate in using terms such as “bloodthirsty regime” and “racist” Al Khalifa. The Islamic Republic’s Revolutionary Guards warned that this measure “will intensify the torch of Bahrain’s Islamic revolution and lead to a destructive uprising against the dependent and ruling regime in this country.”

Bahrain’s government announced on Monday (June 20) the revocation of citizenship of Sheikh Isa Qassem, the leader of Shiites in the country. He is one of the leaders of Bahrain’s Shiite protests. Bahrain’s judicial system suspended the activities of the Wefaq Society, the largest Shiite opposition group, about a week before Qassem’s citizenship revocation and ordered the confiscation of all its assets.

Today’s statement by the Revolutionary Guards is actually a reiteration of a statement released yesterday by Qassem Suleimani, commander of the Revolutionary Guards’ extraterritorial branch (Quds Force). In an unprecedented reaction, he described “the violation of Ayatollah Sheikh Isa Qassem’s sanctity” as a red line that “will leave the people with no choice but armed resistance,” resulting in “the destruction of Bahrain’s bloodthirsty regime.”

The statements by Qassem Suleimani and subsequently by the Revolutionary Guards, both written in a highly hostile tone, could be viewed by regional Arab countries as confirmation of “their concerns” about Iran’s foreign policy. Some of these countries have long claimed that Iran seeks to create instability in their countries.

The attack by “rogue forces” in the final days of last Persian year on Saudi Arabia’s embassy in Tehran and Mashhad was evidence of this claim and dealt a severe blow to the credibility of the Rouhani government’s foreign policy based on cooperation with neighboring countries. Following this attack, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain severed their diplomatic relations with Iran, and Bahrain’s foreign minister sent a message to Iran to change its approach in the Middle East, otherwise Persian Gulf countries were ready to confront Iran’s foreign policy.

The revocation of Sheikh Isa Qassem’s citizenship has meanwhile faced international reactions. The United States expressed concern about this measure and asked the Bahraini government to “exercise restraint.”

Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the United Nations Human Rights Office, has also asked Bahrain’s government to refrain from actions that could lead to increased crisis and instability in the region. The UN Human Rights Office did not find Sheikh Isa Qassem’s citizenship revocation justified and called for the release of political prisoners.

Source: DW