No Iran talks before ties return

Lawmakers say Hormuz talks must wait until diplomatic ties with Iran are restored

TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain should not sit down with Iran over the Strait of Hormuz until diplomatic ties are restored and the attacks on the Kingdom are dealt with, MPs and Shura Council members have said.

They supported Bahrain’s refusal to take part in a ministerial meeting in Oman that would include Iran, saying talks could not simply move past strikes on civilian sites and key infrastructure.

Members of both chambers said Bahrain still favoured dialogue and diplomacy, but any return to talks had to rest on respect for sovereignty, non-interference and guarantees that such attacks would not happen again.

Shura Council member Adel Al Assoomi said Bahrain would not take part before diplomatic relations with Iran were restored.

‘Real peace must begin with an end to attacks and the settlement of outstanding matters through legal means,’ he said.

He said regional security could not be built by brushing attacks aside or appeasing the side behind them.

MP Hassan Ebrahim said attacks on Bahrain’s infrastructure and civilian sites could not simply be brushed aside so that talks with Iran could resume.

‘Bahrain’s security, its people and its facilities are red lines that are not open to bargaining,’ he said.

He said Bahrain still favoured peace and diplomacy, but any talks had to respect its sovereignty, rule out interference in its internal affairs, deal with responsibility for the attacks and include guarantees against a repeat.

Ebrahim said staying away from the Oman meeting did not mean Bahrain opposed regional efforts to ease tensions.

He praised Oman’s efforts to bring down tensions, but said Bahrain had every right to choose the time and terms of any future talks with Iran.

MP Maryam Al Sayegh also supported Bahrain’s refusal to attend while Iran was taking part and diplomatic ties had yet to be restored.

She said regional security could not be built by brushing aside attacks or their effects.

Al Sayegh said any rules covering shipping through the Strait of Hormuz should also be based on the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and approved by the International Maritime Organization.

Members of both chambers praised Oman’s efforts to ease tensions but said security in the Strait of Hormuz depended on respect for the security and sovereignty of Gulf states.