DUBAI, May 23. /TASS/. Manama aims to improve relations with Tehran and sees no reason to postpone the settlement of this issue, King of Bahrain Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa said during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

According to the Bahraini state agency BNA, the king "expressed Bahrain's desire to improve relations with Iran," noting that "there is no reason to postpone the restoration of relations between the two countries."

Manama, like Riyadh, severed diplomatic ties with Tehran in January 2016 following an attack on the Saudi embassy in the Iranian capital. On March 10, 2023, it was announced that Iran and Saudi Arabia had reached an agreement to normalize relations and reopen their embassies. On March 12, 2023, Manama said that it was open to restoring ties with Tehran, and on March 14, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanani Chafi asserted that Iran was ready to develop cooperation with all its neighbors, including Bahrain.