Bahrain King Makes Veiled Charge Against Iran Over Nation's Protest

MANAMA, Bahrain -- Bahrain's king blamed a foreign plot for his nation's weeks-long unrest, using veiled language Monday to accuse Iran of fomenting an uprising by the Shiite majority in the Sunni-ruled island kingdom.

The Bahrain opposition's main demand is for a constitutional monarchy that would keep the royal family in power but would let people elect a government. Inspired by mass protests in Tunisia and Egypt that toppled the two countries' presidents, it rejects accusations of influence by the Shiite powerhouse across the Persian Gulf.

"We don't want Iranians to come. We don't want a big problem in this small country," senior opposition leader Ali Salman said Sunday, adding that the solution to the country's crisis has to come from its people.

The king declared a three-month emergency rule and invited armies from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other Sunni-ruled Gulf states to help quell unrest in Bahrain, the home of U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet.

King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa praised the Saudi-led force and said "Bahrain is bigger and stronger today than ever."

"I here announce the failure of the fomented subversive plot against security and stability," the king was quoted as saying by state-run Bahrain News Agency. The king spoke to the commander of the Saudi-led force and said its troops give Bahrain strength and confidence.

Iran has condemned the presence of the Gulf force in Bahrain and Shiites across the Middle East have been outraged by the deadly crackdown of protest, that has killed at least 13 people.

Comments

[karim banned]

11:23 PM on 03/22/2011

He forgot to say the real reason for the revolt is his corrupt government that steal all the money and does not give any representation to Bahrainis.

[Micheal G Groshong]

01:57 PM on 03/22/2011

If a Shia says it, a Sunnite will call it a lie. Samething if the shoe is on the other foot. How many years has this family squabble continiued? How many have suffered and died in the name of a jointly held God?

Christians are no better, so drop that line of reasoning.

[Catch 22]

01:54 PM on 03/22/2011

"The Bahrain opposition's main demand is for a constitutional monarchy that would keep the royal family in power"

I think this is a reasonable request. You think the King might admit that this is just a natural reaction to a majority being ruled by a minority, with no end in sight.

[duxguts]

03:56 AM on 03/22/2011

All the other despots wish they were in the same boat (no pun intended) as the king of Bahrain. He has a US naval base so he knows he can do no wrong.

[factsaboutchina]

01:45 AM on 03/22/2011

This is the same ploy arab nations use when they claim 'western intervention' and 'the US is after our natural resources' - own up to your own failures as a leader, don't blame others.

[Y2KCockroach]

01:07 AM on 03/22/2011

This is beyond pathetic. In an desperate attempt to cling to his dictatorship, king Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa would allow - excuse me, "invite" - the entire Sunni world to invade and occupy his country, and still have the chutzpah to blame it on Iran.

A real leader, that Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.

[Shomali]

11:56 PM on 03/21/2011

Out of top 50 people in government of Bahrain only 4 were Shia, while they are 70% of the population. This is among a million reason why people have had enough of the Bahraini tyranny sponsored by the corrupt tyranny of House of Saud of Arabia.

[donnyraindog]

07:34 PM on 03/21/2011

Don't drink iranian nescafe!

[altohone]

05:35 PM on 03/21/2011

When a monarch needs help to do the brutal dictator thing, maybe he's in the wrong line of work.

[duxguts]

04:53 AM on 03/22/2011

The Iranians are to blame.........spoken like a true Israeli.

[ThinkDeeply]

05:20 PM on 03/21/2011

The coverage of the situation in Bahrain has been terrible, even though it is far more important in terms of regional politics that the situation in any Middle-Eastern country at the moment. Why is it that I have to scroll through the entire "World" news page to find the Bahrain stories on the bottom and they are nowhere on the main site's page (but you can be sure to find at least one story about photoshopping some model's photo).

This is absurd HP! I can understand why the US govt. is keeping quiet, but you ought to explain yourselves.

[Lisbeth35]

07:04 PM on 03/21/2011

I am also searching everywhere as well....if you want to read the "official" government line, there is always the Gulf Daily News, but as for Western reporting on the situation, it is a tough search

[Dec2086Lover]

12:32 AM on 03/22/2011

God willing very soon this pathetic excuse of a king is ousted and his family of killers,and then the media will be focused on the story.I felt the same way on Tunisia,little coverage,only after Egypt did the media focus on the Middle East/North Africa protests.That being said Gaddafi the rat must be ousted,then we can focus on all these other murderers.

[TYRANNASAURUS]

05:12 PM on 03/21/2011

Bahrain King Blames Iran For Nation's Protests .....

If he really wants to know the reason for the uprising......
........he should take an honest look in the mirror.

[gsamy]

04:23 PM on 03/21/2011

Here you see again a Marionette a Despot blaming the carnage to his own people with help of other Despots (Saudi) on Iran, which has no connections to the protestors.
Here again it shows the double standard of US-Government, I thought the freedom of peaceful assembly and association; the ability to speak your mind and choose your leaders, free speech and the right for demonstration are the Ideals of America. Where are the voices of critics? It is OK to send Saudi troops to kill Bahraini demonstrators. Interfering in a Sovereign Country with foreign troops to kill.

[Dec2086Lover]

12:33 AM on 03/22/2011

Fanned and faved!

[xMoonWalkerx]

12:35 AM on 03/22/2011

One despot blaming another despotic govt. They are all cr*p.

[omobob]

04:21 PM on 03/21/2011

The ruling families of the ME have long feared an Iranian like Islamic Revolution in their countries. The reason shiites are not allowed in the Saudi Military and why the Saudi Royal Family buys so much US military hardware.

[SusanElizabeth1949]

10:35 AM on 03/22/2011

I seem to remember some problems during the Haj, right after the Iranian Revolution, that led to some problems for Iranians trying to make the Haj for a number of years.

[omobob]

02:06 PM on 03/22/2011

Yes, for the 290 passengers and crew who never made it out of IraNIAN airspace.

Iran Air Flight 655 (IR655) was a civilian jet airliner shot down by U.S. missileson 3 July 1988, over the Strait of Hormuz, toward the end of the Iran–Iraq War. The aircraft, an Airbus A300B2-203 operated by Iran Air, was flying from Bandar Abbas, Iran, to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, when it was destroyed by the U.S. Navy's guided missile cruiser USS Vincennes, killing all 290 passengers and crew aboard, including 66 children,[1] ranking it seventh among the deadliest airliner fatalities.[2] It was the highest death toll of any aviation incident in theIndian Ocean and the highest death toll of any incident involving an Airbus A300 anywhere in the world. Vincennes was traversing the Strait of Hormuz, inside Iranian territorial waters, and at the time of the attack IR655 was within Iranian airspace.[3]

[powercomptroller]

03:48 PM on 03/21/2011

Someone explain gravity to this clueless son of yazid. In nature, the object with less mass orbits the object with more mass. No force can change this fact. Similarly, the majority is not ruled by the minority. Colonial forces are not divine powers that can alter that forever.

[Dec2086Lover]

12:36 AM on 03/22/2011

Good call,sooner or later the majority will rule.This bozo barbarian should be thrown in the trsh can of history.