Bahrain has announced it is severing diplomatic ties with Iran,
following a similar move by Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia on Sunday gave Iranian diplomats two days
to leave after a row over the Saudi execution of a top Shia Muslim cleric and a
subsequent attack on its embassy in Tehran.
Saudi Arabia and Iran are the key Sunni and Shia
powers in the region and back opposing sides in Syria and Yemen.
Bahrain is ruled by a Sunni Muslim king but its
population is majority Shia.
The kingdom on Monday gave Iranian diplomats 48 hours
to leave the country.
There are fears sectarian strife may spread in the
region following the execution of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr and 46 others in Saudi
Arabia on Saturday after they were convicted of terror-related offences.
On Monday, two Sunni mosques in Iraq were bombed and
an imam killed.
Saudi Arabia announced late on Sunday it was severing diplomatic
relations with Iran after demonstrators stormed the Saudi embassy in Tehran. It
has recalled its own diplomats.
Iran's foreign ministry on Monday accused the Saudis
of "continuing the policy of increasing tension and clashes in the
region".
Ministry spokesman Hossein Jaber Ansari said:
"Saudi Arabia sees not only its interests but also its existence in
pursuing crises and confrontations and attempts to resolve its internal
problems by exporting them to the outside."
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