Bahrain Allegations “Baseless”

Iran denied on Sunday the Bahraini government’s allegations that Iran was behind an oil pipeline explosion outside the Arab country’s capital on Friday.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Spokesman Bahram Qasemi was quoted as saying by IRNA, “We have always stressed that we regard the stability and security of our neighbors as our own stability and security,” describing the charge as “baseless”.

The Iranian official made the statement in response to Bahrain’s Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa’s claim that Iran had been linked to the blast, which he called a “terrorist act”.

The explosion occurred on the outskirts of Manama near Buri Village, Reuters reported. “Apparently, Bahraini officials have been conditioned to blame Iran after any mishap that occurs on the island [country],” Qasemi said. Over the past few days, tensions have risen sharply in the Middle East as Saudi Arabia has charged Iran with involvement in Yemeni Houthi fighters’ missile attacks on the kingdom. Bahrain’s claims are aimed at deflecting international attention from the indiscriminate attacks it has conducted against Yemeni civilians since 2015 as part of the Saudi alliance to reinstate the fugitive president Abd-Rabbu Mansur Hadi.