Trump ‘Cozying Up to Gulf Despots Blamed for Deaths in Bahrain

London: Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif blamed President Donald Trump for the deaths of five pro-democracy demonstrators in a raid conducted by Bahraini police on Tuesday.

"First concrete result of POTUS cozying up to despots in Riyadh: Deadly attack on peaceful protesters by emboldened Bahrain regime," Zarif said on Twitter, referring to President Trump's recent visit to Saudi Arabia.

Tiny Gulf protectorate launched a violent security raid on village of Dirazl, home to spiritual leader of country's majority population that led to the death of at least five protesters and hundreds of arrests. 

Regime forces raided the home of 80 year old cleric Sheikh Isa Qassim in the village of Diraz where demonstrators had been taking part in a sit-in after authorities revoked the cleric's citizenship last year for supporting the pro-democracy movement. 

Dozens of people have been killed after regime forces, backed by Saudi military, violently crushed the popular uprising following Arab Spring in 2011. However it failed to completely stem the protests which are now a permanent feature of Bahraini life.

The fresh crackdown came days after President Donald Trump praised U.S. ties with the island's monarch and vowed to mend any "strain" in the countries' relationship,

Bahrain's suppression of human rights and violent put-down of protests has created tensions with the U.S in the past. Former President Barack Obama's administration advocated for reforms and restricted some arms sales. 

Trump however took a different approach, appearing to ignore human rights concerns in dealings with Bahrain, potentially giving the kingdom a free hand to quell dissent.

Trump met with Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa on Sunday, and pledged more amicable relations. 

"Our countries have a wonderful relationship together, but there has been a little strain, but there won't be strain with this administration," Trump said during the meeting.

The shift in White House rhetoric on Bahrain continues Trump's conciliatory line on strongmen and authoritarian governments that have shared interests with Washington, according to Nick Robins-Early, writing in Huffington Post.

During Trump's visit to Saudi Arabia last weekend, he praised a Saudi airstrike campaign in Yemen that has killed thousands of civilians, and complimented Egypt's military dictator Abdel Fattah al-Sisi for "doing a tremendous job."

Trump administration has already decided to waive human rights conditions on the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Bahrain. 

The Obama administration struck the deal, worth billions, with the caveat that Bahrain refrain from certain rights abuses. 

Meanwhile Iran was not alone in claiming that Bahrain took action against Qassim because Trump's support at the summit in Riyadh emboldened them.

Human Rights Watch issued a statement following Tuesday's raid in Diraz, saying that the timing of the operation, two days after Trump's friendly meeting, "can hardly be a coincidence." 

Human rights groups condemned the Trump administration's move to remove those assurances, saying that it would give Bahrain a green light to ramp up repression.

Although the U.S. has a long history of looking the other way on human rights when it is strategically or economically beneficial, the Trump administration has at times signaled that it is willing to do away with even the most milquetoast of condemnations if it could jeopardize potential deals, Nick Robins wrote.