GD Online, Manama, 13 August 2015 – Alarm has been expressed after a study found that Iran allocates 65 per cent of its defence budget to fund terrorist activities in the region.
BDF chief of staff Major General Shaikh Daij bin Salman Al Khalifa voiced concern at the figure yesterday and called for the full picture about Tehran’s destabilising role to be revealed.
The figure originates from a study conducted by the American Action Forum, which said the nuclear agreement between Iran and the West could increase Iran’s defence budget by 5pc – and that of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) by 50pc.
The IRGC has been accused of training and funding terrorists to destabilise the Gulf, particularly those active in Bahrain.
“Everything that is currently happening in our region and the countries surrounding it needs to be studied and the real picture needs to be revealed,” said Maj Gen Shaikh Daij.
He was speaking at a seminar called ‘Iranian Interference in Bahrain’s Internal Affairs: Signs and Indicators’ yesterday.
Bahrain Centre for Strategic, International and Energy Studies (Derasat) researcher Dr Ashraf Kishk added 61 speeches had been made about Bahrain by Iranian officials since 2011 – an average of one every three weeks.
