Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa received Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in the Gulf state’s capital Manama on Monday, state media reported, amid fears of conflict potentially spreading across the Middle East.
The pair “discussed bilateral cooperation and the latest regional developments, focusing on efforts to de-escalate tensions and reach peaceful solutions,” according to the official Bahrain News Agency.
Araghchi has for about two weeks been touring the region in a diplomatic effort to tamp down tensions with the region braced for Israel’s promised retaliation for arch-foe Tehran’s missile attack on October 1.
Israel is currently at war with two armed groups backed by Iran — Palestinian militants Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Iran has balanced calls for de-escalation with threats of a fierce response to any Israeli attack.
The Sunni kingdom of Bahrain, the smallest country in the Middle East, has repeatedly accused Iran of fueling unrest among its Shiite community — a claim which Tehran denies.
After departing Manama, Araghchi would travel to Kuwait, according to Iran’s ambassador to Kuwait, Mohammad Totonchi.
Araghchi’s tour of the region has also included Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Iraq, Egypt and Turkey, where he discussed potential cease-fires in Lebanon and Gaza, as well as ways to prevent the conflict from spreading.
Bahrain cut ties with Iran in 2016, following in the footsteps of regional powerhouse Saudi Arabia after Riyadh’s diplomatic missions in Iran were attacked by protesters denouncing the Saudi execution of a prominent Shiite Muslim cleric.
Shiite-majority Iran and the Sunni kingdom of Saudi Arabia resumed ties in 2023 under an agreement that has shifted regional alliances. At the time, Tehran expressed its desire to reestablish diplomatic ties with Bahrain.