Iranian Speaker Dismisses UK Military Buildup in Bahrain as Worn-Out Strategy

(FNA)- Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani underlined that the deployment of the British naval forces in Bahrain is a worn-out policy and cannot prevent the spread of Islamic Awakening in the Persian Gulf state.

"After the World War II, we have seen that Britain delivered many of its military bases in the region to the US, and today we are witnessing that it is establishing a base; the UK may imagine that it can control the region through military bases, but this is an old and worn-out view and I, of course, doubt if the region is ready to accept this," Larijani said, addressing a forum in Tehran on Wednesday.

He stressed that the Islamic Awakening cannot be stopped by artilleries, tanks and military bases, reiterating that militarism is a worn-out approach.

Larijani also referred to the current conditions and order in the world, and said the world is no more controlled by one pole, "and the world is witnessing the emergence of even more new regional powers that did not exist before".

Earlier this month, Britain signed an agreement in Bahrain to expand its long-term naval presence in the Persian Gulf region despite the Manama regime’s ongoing harsh crackdown on public dissent.

The pact will give Britain the go-ahead to reinforce its onshore facilities at the Mina Salman Port in Bahrain, where the UK permanently stations four mine-hunter warships, British Defense Secretary Michael Fallon said on Friday.

"This new base is a permanent expansion of the Royal Navy's footprint and will enable Britain to send more and larger ships to reinforce stability in the (Persian) Gulf," Fallon said.

"We will now be based again in the (Persian) Gulf for the long term," he added.

The base, which provides support for British destroyers and frigates in the Persian Gulf, will now be expanded to include a new forward operating base and a place to plan, store equipment for naval operations and accommodate Royal Navy personnel.

Bahrainis took to the streets in the town of Sitra, near the British naval base, on Saturday night to protest against the UK role in the country.

The protest in Sitra was targeted at British Ambassador Iain Lindsay who many in Bahrain see as "little more than a PR mouthpiece and apologist for the regime", as Maryam al-Khawaja, a Bahraini human rights activist described.