On Tuesday, the US diplomat for the Middle East stated that Bahrain, which severed its diplomatic relations with Iran in 2016 following the attacks on the Saudi embassy in Tehran, is expected to restore those ties in the near future. Similarly, Saudi Arabia also severed its diplomatic relations with Iran in 2016 after its embassy in Tehran was targeted in an attack.

The regional rivals announced in March they would restore diplomatic ties and Iran reopened its embassy in Riyadh on June 6.

Speaking about the possibility of Bahrain restoring diplomatic ties with Iran, US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf told lawmakers, “I think it will happen sometime soon.”