VP: Remarks on Bahrain’s sovereignty “poison” Arab-Iranian relations

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Iraqi Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi on Wednesday said that Iranian statements on Bahrain’s sovereignty “poison” Arab-Iran relations, according to an official statement. “During an interview with the Bahraini al-Nabaa newspaper, Hashemi said that Iranian claims about Bahrain’s sovereignty, independence and Arab identity will not change historical or geographical facts, and should not be a source of worry,” read the statement that was received by IraqiNews.com news agency. The Iraqi official called on Iran not to let similar “irresponsible” statements in the future, which he said “do not serve Iranian interests.” The Iranian press had quoted Ali Akbar Nateq-Nouri, an advisor to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as saying that Iran had sovereignty over the kingdom. Gulf states called on Tehran to condemn the statements, which the Bahraini interior minister described as “irresponsible.” A spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Hassan Qashqawi, said during a Tehran-based press conference on Monday (Feb. 23) that the media reports were misunderstood and misinterpreted. SS (P)/SR 1