Iran Accused of Covert Action in Bahrain

Re “U.S. Accuses Iran of Covert Actions Abroad,” June 6:

Unemployment, socioeconomic problems, absence of democratic institutions and restrictions on freedom of expression and the press have given rise to the social unrest in Bahrain.

The government in Bahrain and certain other governments point to some Bahraini students who might have studied in religious schools in Qom and thus allege that Iran intended to use these religious students to stage a coup d’etat there. The concerted effort to explain the internal problems of Bahrain in terms of foreign instigation serves two ill-conceived objectives. On the one hand it aims to allow the establishment in Bahrain to suppress the unrest, and on the other, it allows certain governments such as the U.S. to fish in the seemingly troubled water and justify further militarization of the Persian Gulf. The Islamic Republic of Iran firmly believes that further militarization of the Persian Gulf is a major disservice not only to the interests of peoples in the region as whole, but also to the interest of the international community that legitimately views the Persian Gulf as the jugular vein for oil.

Iran has never interfered in the internal affairs of other states, including Bahrain. The government of Iran regards the maintenance of status quo in the region, including that in Bahrain, to serve its long-term strategic interest. It has advanced initiatives for promotion of cooperation, confidence-building measures, security arrangements and nonaggression pacts for littoral states of the Persian Gulf. In connection with the ongoing unrest in Bahrain, the government of Iran supports any initiative that the government of Bahrain may deem appropriate for nonviolent resolution of the crisis and for reform, and is prepared to mediate between the Bahrain government and the opposition.

Contrary to the assertion by a U.S. administration official, Iran is not asking for trouble, but can certainly be a more accurate trouble-shooter for Persian Gulf affairs than governments thousands of miles away that have very little, if any, commonality with people in the region.

Another contentious point in the article is the assertion that there has been “a major shift in policy and in the centers of power in Tehran.” It is true that the election campaign for the Parliament which Iran just finished and for the upcoming presidential election next year is quite high and hot, but the people of Iran consider their electoral process an achievement in electing a representative Parliament and government. The overall policies of the Islamic Republic of Iran in promotion of cooperation and good-neighborly relations and its long-term strategic interests will not change, but the members of the Iranian government and Parliament do.

M. HOSSEIN NOSRAT

Press Secretary

Iran Mission, United Nations