Bahrain’s foreign minister has said that Iran “will not be allowed to close for one day the Strait of Hormuz” and has called on Tehran to reconsider its regional policies.
In an interview in Paris with Asharq Al-Awsat, Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa indirectly criticized the 1025 nuclear agreement with Iran, saying that it dealt with Tehran’s nuclear program but did not address the issue of its missile program and its interventions in regional countries.
“Iran made major mistakes when it intervened in the affairs of the countries of the region and sent its money, weapons and militias. The current situation is caused by the nuclear agreement that Washington withdrew from. That agreement dealt with Iran’s nuclear program and left aside its ballistic programs… and the policy of Iranian hegemony”, Sheikh Khalid said.
After the U.S. announced its decision April 22 to end exemptions offered to a few countries for buying Iranian oil despite U.S. sanctions, Tehran’s leaders intensified their threats to close the Strait of Hormuz.
U.S. Central Command chief General Kenneth McKenzie said on April 27 that the United States would deploy the needed resources to counter any dangerous actions by Iran, Sky News Arabia reported.
Bahrain’s foreign minister in his interview also underlined that Iran should reconsider its policies towards the region and the United States.
“We see an opportunity for Tehran to review its policy, which had so far brought it to the brink of the abyss,” he said.
