A hardline Iranian site has again engaged in incitement against Bahrain. Tasnim, which is close to the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (I.R.G.C), the controversial political-military organization that is spearheading Iran’s military interventions in the Middle East, claimed in an article that the overthrow of the Bahraini government is a “public call.”
The article was quoting the head of Bahrain’s dissident Islamic Action Movement, Jaafar al-Alawi, who alleged that “the overthrow of the ruling regime has become a fixed part of all anti-regime demonstrations across [Bahrain].” Such inflammatory articles in Iranian media that are tantamount to a direct attack on the sovereignty of another state have been an ongoing concern for Iran’s neighbors and particularly those in the Gulf Cooperation Council (G.C.C.).
While Tehran is hypersensitive to any criticism of its policies at home – including repression of the vast domestic Iranian opposition and a dismal human rights record - Iranian state-controlled media on a daily basis attack the sovereignty and legitimacy of many of Iran’s neighboring states. While the ruling elite in Tehran claims to be interested in “neighborly relations” with the G.C.C. states, such repeated cases of interferences in the affairs of states such as Bahrain leave little room for confidence in Tehran.
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