Bahrain has revoked the citizenship of the spiritual leader of the kingdom's Shi'ite Muslim majority, the state news agency has reported, prompting protests outside his home and a sharp rebuke from an Iranian paramilitary chief.
Monday's move against Ayatollah Isa Qassim comes less than a week after a court ordered Bahrain's main opposition al-Wefaq group closed, accusing it of fomenting sectarian unrest and of having links to a foreign power, in an apparent reference to regional Shi'ite power Iran.
The move against Qassim was the latest one taken by Bahrain - where a Shi'ite majority is ruled by a Sunni monarchy - against Shi'ite figures in the country, in what appears to be an escalating campaign against dissent in the Western-allied Gulf kingdom.
Bahrain has defended its actions against Shi'ite Muslim figures in the context of national security.
Qassim could potentially face expulsion from the country.
A crowd of up to 4000 people gathered outside Qassim's house in the Shi'ite village of Diraz, west of the capital, Manama, to show their support for him, witnesses said.
In a bluntly worded reaction, the top commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, Qassem Soleimani, warned the Bahraini government it would pay a price for its decision and suggested Bahrainis may respond with armed action.
"The Al Khalifa (rulers of Bahrain) surely know their aggression against Sheikh Isa Qassim is a red line and that crossing it would set Bahrain and the whole region on fire, and it would leave no choice for people but to resort to armed resistance," Soleimani said in a statement published by Fars news agency.
Soleimani heads the Qods Force, the elite special forces arm of Iran's Revolutionary Guards.
Iran's Foreign Ministry also criticised the move.
In a statement published on the Tasnim news agency, the ministry urged the Bahraini government "not to burn all the bridges that connect the government to the people" and "to hold serious national talks to end the current crisis."
Washington, which regards Bahrain as a top Gulf ally and is where the US Fifth Fleet is based as a bulwark against Iran, said it was "alarmed" by the decision.
"We are unaware of any credible evidence to support this action," State Department spokesman John Kirby said.
The United States and Britain have expressed concern about Bahrain's human rights record.
Bahrain in 2011 crushed an uprising by Shi'ites demanding reforms that would give them a bigger voice in governing the Sunni Muslim-ruled country. Bahrain denies any discrimination.
