DUBAI — Bahrain has reinstated its ambassador in Iran, the country’s foreign minister said, more than a year after the island kingdom withdrew its envoy to protest at Tehran’s criticism against a Gulf-backed crackdown on protesters.



Bahrain, a US ally which hosts the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, has been in turmoil since pro-democracy protests erupted last year after revolts in Egypt and Tunisia.



Bahrain asked Saudi Arabia to send forces to help it quell the protests last year. Iran condemned the move, saying it could lead to regional instability. The United Arab Emirates also sent police forces to Bahrain.

Bahrain recalled its ambassador from Iran in March last year after a Bahraini foreign ministry official called the remarks “blatant interference in Bahrain’s internal affairs”. Tehran responded by withdrawing its ambassador in what appeared to be a tit-for-tat move.



“The ambassador of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the Islamic Republic of Iran has returned to his work in Tehran,” Foreign Minister Sheikh Khalid Al-Khalifa wrote on his Twitter page late Saturday.



Tension between Iran and Gulf Arab states has been high over Iran’s nuclear energy program, which Gulf rulers fear will give Tehran a nuclear weapon. — AFP