Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh on Sunday categorically dismissed allegations and denounced an action by Bahrain’s High Criminal Court to fine the Central Bank of Iran and some other Iranian banks on baseless charges, saying the ruling of the court has no legal validity.
Khatibzadeh said that the judicial process in the courts of Bahrain against the Central Bank of Iran and Iranian individuals and banks is so distorted that Iran does not have any official and reliable source to know the details of the cases, except for some media sources.
He, therefore, said that any announcement in this regard is based on the news published in the media.
The general purpose of filing these cases and making baseless accusations and claims against the Central Bank of Iran and Saderat and Melli banks and some managers of these banks is based on political motives and has no legal value, the spokesman said.
Apparently, the Bahraini court is merely the executor of the orders and decisions of the Bahraini political and security apparatus in these cases, Khatibzadeh said, adding that the cases lack judicial standards related to fair trial so that the Iranian side has been deprived of its basic rights.
He reiterated that the judicial process has been blurred and distorted.
Filing these false criminal charges, and their investigation and issuance of verdicts in these cases is illegal in the eye of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Khatibzadeh said, taking the Bahraini government responsible for its action.
Obviously, the Islamic Republic of Iran has the right to use all the national and international means to oppose such actions by Bahrain and will not fail to defend the interests and rights of its citizens, the spokesman said.