DHAKA: Bahrain has announced it is severing diplomatic ties with Iran, following a similar move by Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia on Sunday gave Iranian diplomats two days to leave after a row over the Saudi execution of a top Shia Muslim cleric and a subsequent attack on its embassy in Tehran.

Saudi Arabia and Iran are the key Sunni and Shia powers in the region and back opposing sides in Syria and Yemen.

Bahrain is ruled by a Sunni Muslim king but its population is majority Shia.

The kingdom on Monday gave Iranian diplomats 48 hours to leave the country, reports the BBC.

There are fears sectarian strife may spread in the region following the execution of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr and 46 others in Saudi Arabia on Saturday after they were convicted of terror-related offences.

On Monday, two Sunni mosques in Iraq were bombed and an imam killed.

BDST: 1758 HRS, JAN 04, 2016
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