Bahrain has frozen a gas import agreement it had with Iran until further notice, the country’s Minister of Foreign Affairs has said, attributing the decision to troubled political relations between the two countries.
In a statement to Bahrain News Agency, Mr Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa said the gas import project was stopped because of Iran’s blatant interference in the kingdom’s domestic affairs.
He said Iran’s successive provocative statements will affect the agreement between the two countries, stressing that such projects require more suitable political atmosphere.
However, the foreign minister denied reports that the agreement was cancelled altogether, asserting that the kingdom is looking forward to setting up better relations with Iran and other neighbourly countries.
The agreement was signed between the two countries in 2008 for the import of one billion cubic feet of natural gas per day by Bahrain from Iran, but the project, according to the minister, was delayed because of Iran’s interference in Bahrain’s internal affairs.