Iran’s Revolutionary Guards threatened Bahrain on Saturday following the announcement of the Israel-Bahrain normalization deal, saying it would face “harsh revenge.”

“The executioner ruler of Bahrain should await the harsh revenge of the Mujahideen aiming to liberate Quds [Jerusalem] and the proud Muslim nation of this country,” the Revolutionary Guards stated on their website as quoted by Reuters.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry also condemned the deal, stating: “Undoubtedly, the oppressed and right-seeking people of Palestine and the free Muslims in the world will never approve of normalization of relations with the usurping and lawless Israeli regime,” according to Xinhua News.

The Foreign Ministry statement added that Bahrain’s government and the other supporting governments would be held accountable for any act by Israel that causes insecurity in the Persian Gulf region.

The island of Bahrain lies just off the coast of Saudi Arabia, and is among the world’s smallest countries, only about 760 square kilometers (290 square miles). Bahrain’s location in the Persian Gulf long has made it a trading stop and a naval defensive position. The island is home to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet and a recently built British naval base.

Like Iran, Bahrain’s population is majority Shiite, and the country has been ruled since 1783 by the Sunni Al-Khalifa family.

Since Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution, Bahrain’s rulers have blamed Iran for arming militants on the island. Iran denies the accusations. Bahrain’s Shiite majority has accused the government of treating them like second-class citizens. The Shiites joined pro-democracy activists in demanding more political freedoms in 2011, as Arab Spring protests swept across the wider Middle East. Saudi and Emirati troops ultimately helped violently put down the demonstrations.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem & AP)