Roundup: Iran strongly condemns Bahrain's revoking citizenship of Shiite cleric, warns of consequences

Iranian lawmakers and political figures strongly condemned Bahrain's recent move to strip the citizenship of the country's top Shiite cleric, Sheikh Isa Qassim, and warned of its consequences.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, 251 Iranian lawmakers condemned the Kingdom's decision to revoke the citizenship of Qassim and criticized what they called the intentional silence over it.

"Have the rulers of this Islamic state (Bahrain) thought about the dangerous and unpredictable consequences of this unwise move?" Press TV cited the statement as saying.

"What does this deadly silence in the face of flagrant violation of international law by the ruling reactionary regime in Bahrain mean?" the statement said.

Bahrain announced on Monday it had revoked the citizenship of the country's most powerful Shiite cleric, saying the move was part of the measures to fight extremism.

Sheikh Isa Qassim, the leader of the opposition group Al Wefaq National Islamic Society, was stripped of nationality, the Bahraini Interior Ministry said in a statement.

The statement accused Isa Qassim of "forming groups that follow foreign religious ideologies and political entities" and of "playing a key role in fostering extremism and sectarianism in Bahrain."

Also on Tuesday, Iran's Parliament (Majlis) speaker, Ali Larjani, censured Bahrain's measure to strip the citizenship of Qassim as a "inhumane" measure, Press TV reported.

The recent intensification of a crackdown on Shiite Muslims in Bahrain signals the looming demise of the ruling Al Khalifah regime, Larjani was quoted as saying.

He described the Kingdiom's decision as "immature" and "adventurist," saying that it reflected the political crisis in the Persian Gulf island.

The decision is the latest in a string of "inhumane" measures that include repressing political dissent and killing Bahraini civilians, Larijani said.

Besides, Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said in a statement on Tuesday that the measure by Bahrain will lead to the uprising in the country and virtual overthrow of the ruling kingdom.

The IRGC warned the Al Khalifah of "dire consequences" of revoking the citizenship of the Shiite cleric.

On Monday, Iran's Foreign Ministry also condemned Bahrain's move of "intensification of its security approach toward religious and national leaders, opposition to religious beliefs and principles, and mis-appropriation of religious assets and funds of the Bahraini people."

It urged Bahraini kingdom to end "stopping its illegal behavior (towards the dissidents), avoiding the destruction of all the bridges for communication with the people and moderate leaders of the country by accepting the realities of the country and holding serious national dialogue."

Crackdown on the peaceful demands of the people would dash any hope of reformation in Bahrain through dialogue and peaceful means, it said in a statement.

Further, a senior Iranian military official on Monday warned Bahrain of the consequences after the latter revoked citizenship of the Shiite cleric.

It would set fire to Bahrain and the entire region, and "leave the people (of Bahrain) with no choice but armed resistance," Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, commander of the Quds Force of IRGC was quoted as saying.

This would result in the collapse of the "bloodthirsty regime," said Soleimani, adding that the regime is repressing its people while the United Nations, the U.S. and Western countries maintain their "meaningful silence."

Soleimani has left Iraq for Syria to oversee resistance operations as the fight with terrorists takes a violent turn recently, said semi-official Mehr news agency's report on Monday.

The Quds Force, also known as Qods, is a special unit of Iran's IRGC responsible for "extraterritorial" missions.

On Jan. 4, Bahrain severed diplomatic relations with Iran, a day after Saudi Arabia cut ties with Tehran amid outrage over the Saudi execution of a Shiite cleric.

Bahrain has long accused Iran of trying to stir up unrest among the country's Shiite population. However, Tehran denies such finger-pointing. Endit