MANAMA, Bahrain: Bahraini government has lodged protest to Tehran after pictures of Iran's supreme leader Ayatullah Ali Khamenei were raised by Bahrainis observing Ashura.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, an official told AFP that Minister for Foreign Affairs Sheikh Muhammad bin Mubarak Al-Khalifa called in the Iranian ambassador in Manama last week to voice his government's “displeasure after small groups brandished pictures of Khamenei” during Ashura mourning processions last month.

“Such provocative actions damage the good relations between the two countries,” the official added, although he did not think the Iran government was itself seeking to harm ties.

The official accused the “groups” involved of being linked to unnamed factions in Iran.

“Raising pictures of Iran's supreme leader along with flags of (Iran-backed movement) Hezbollah in several places is tantamount to provocation,” said the official, adding that it raised question marks about the loyalty of the people involved.