Sputnik- Bahrain's assistant foreign minister called on Tehran to improve ties with all Persian Gulf states.





GENEVA (Sputnik) — Iran should seek better relations with all Persian Gulf states, not only Bahrain, and try to remove all the negative factors that triggered their deterioration, Bahrain's Assistant Foreign Minister Abdulla Faisal Jabr Doseri told Sputnik on Tuesday.
"Iran must launch an initiative to improve relations with the Persian Gulf states, not only with Bahrain, and eliminate all negative factors that led to their deterioration," Doseri said at the sidelines of the 34th session of the Human Rights Council.


The relations between Tehran and Persian Gulf states significantly deteriorated after Iran's 1979 revolution, when Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini called for the overthrow of the pro-US monarchs in the Persian Gulf.


The relations are also complicated by religious tensions, as the majority of Iran's population are Shias, while the most Arab states are predominantly Sunni. Moreover, Iran is involved in rivalry with Saudi Arabia for regional leadership.