Iran Rejects Bahrain Spy Charge Against Diplomat, May Retaliate
Bloomberg--Bahrain’s charges of spying against an Iranian diplomat are “baseless” and Iran’s government may retaliate, said Ramin Mehmanparast, a Foreign Ministry spokesman, according to the state-run Mehr news agency.
Mehmanparast gave no details of how Iran may respond. Bahrain yesterday asked Iranian diplomat Heget Elah Rahmani to leave the country within 72 hours because of alleged ties to a spy network operating in Kuwait, the official Bahrain News Agency said.
Tensions between Iran and Bahrain have escalated amid Iranian criticism of Bahrain’s crackdown on pro-democracy protesters. While Bahrain, like Iran, is predominantly populated by Shiite Muslims, Sunnis rule the Persian Gulf island.