Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatib Zadeh condemned Bahrain’s decision to normalize relations with Israel, describing the move as disgraceful and a betrayal of the Palestinian people, considering that it makes the rulers of the Gulf kingdom "partners in the crimes of the Zionist regime."
Khatibzadeh said that Bahrain sacrifices the Palestinian cause and the struggle of the Palestinian people for several decades, and this step will remain in the memory of the Palestinian people and free peoples in the world forever, as he put it.
He added that Bahrain's resorting to Israel is "a fundamental mistake, and it was done with the aim of influencing the American elections."
He stressed that the rulers of Bahrain, after normalization with Israel, "which considers a permanent threat to the security of the region and the world, have become partners in its crimes in the region and the Islamic world."
Netanyahu appreciated the Bahraini move and expressed his happiness with it (Reuters)
Warning and fallout
The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman warned that Bahrain and the rest of the countries that normalized their relations with Israel should realize that they bear the repercussions of any Israeli move that leads to insecurity in the Gulf waters.
US President Donald Trump was the first to announce the agreement between Bahrain and Israel on Friday, speaking of their reaching a "peace agreement" and a "new historic breakthrough."
"The two countries will exchange embassies and ambassadors, and they will start direct flights and launch cooperation initiatives in a wide range of fields, including health, trade, technology, education, security and agriculture," he said.
Bahrain said in a joint statement with Israel and the United States that it agreed to sign the agreement with Israel at a ceremony to be held Tuesday at the White House, in conjunction with the United Arab Emirates' signing of an agreement to normalize its relations with Israel as well.
And Tehran considered that "the oppressed Palestinian people and the free Muslims in the world will reject normalization and establish relations with the usurping Zionist entity, and therefore this shameful measure will remain in the memory of the oppressed Palestinian people and the free peoples of the world forever."
The Trump Project
In Jerusalem, Netanyahu said in a statement published in Hebrew yesterday, "Citizens of Israel, I am pleased to inform you that this evening, we reached another peace agreement with another Arab country, Bahrain. This agreement adds to the historic peace with the United Arab Emirates."
This development is considered a diplomatic success for Trump on the verge of a presidential election in which he aspires to win a second term, in the face of his Democratic rival, Joe Biden.
The normalization of relations between Israel and the United States' allies in the Middle East, including the Gulf states, is a major goal within Trump's regional strategy.