Manama, Rabi'I 24, 1437, January 04, 2016, SPA -- The Kingdom of Bahrain announced today breaking off its diplomatic relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran and ordering all members of the Iranian mission in Manama to leave the country within 48 hours and, also, decided to close its diplomatic mission in Tehran and withdraw all member staff of the Bahraini mission from Iran. In a statement carried by the Bahraini News Agency, Bahrain based its decision on the blatant and serious interference of Iran, not only in the internal affairs of Bahrain, but also in the affairs of the GCC member countries and Arab countries without the least consideration for the values, laws, ethics, neighborhood principles, United Nations basics and Organization of Islamic Cooperation statute, given the serious repercussions that might be incurred from this host of illegal practices on the security, safety and stability of the region through providing shelter and assistance to terrorists and extremists, weapons and explosives trafficking and using of force to achieve those ends. The statement also attributed the decision to the coward and evil hostilities against the Saudi embassy in Tehran and the consulate general in Mash-had as a flagrant violation of all international agreements and treaties which embodies a serious pattern of sectarian policies that cannot be ignored, otherwise the entire region would be thrown into flames and wide range chaos, necessitating a prompt and decisive action by peace-loving societies. Accordingly, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bahrain has summoned the Acting Charge d'affaires of Iran Murtadha Sanoberi and handed him an official note in this regard. --SPA 15:47 LOCAL TIME 12:47 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w