The first deputy speaker of Bahrain’s Council of Representatives says the Persian Gulf kingdom intends to take measures soon to revive diplomatic relations with neighboring Iran after more than eight years.

According to The Iran Project, “Resumption of political and commercial relations between the two countries is of great importance, because Iran is a neighboring country and Bahrain supports stable ties with all regional states,” Abdulnabi Salman stated on Saturday.

He added that the desire to resume relations between Manama and Tehran has been met with a positive response from the Bahraini government and the Council of Representatives, and the legislature has even put out a positive statement in this regard.
 

“Compared to other countries along the [Persian] Gulf, we are the closest country to Iran. Iranian expatriates live in Bahrain, and we are also witnessing the presence of Bahraini citizens in Iran. Trade exchanges between the two countries date back many decades,” Salman pointed out.
 

The senior Bahraini legislator underlined that Manama hopes to resume stable and strong political relations with Tehran, stressing, “This will happen in the very near future and will be based on respect for good neighborliness.”
 

He went on to note that Russia, interested in the stability of the West Asia region, has been mediating between Bahrain and Iran in order to revive diplomatic ties.