A lawmaker criticized Kuwaiti officials for arresting two Iranians who were allegedly photographing Shia congregation halls in the Persian Gulf Arab country, warning that such moves could hurt bilateral relations.

�The Kuwaiti government should avoid unconstructive policies in its relations with other regional countries, including Iran,� Mohammad Javad Abtahi said in an interview with ICANA on Sunday.

�Iranians have always sought friendly ties with the Kuwaitis, but measures like detaining Iranian nationals could undermine this approach,� he said.

The Arab monarchy�s Interior Ministry issued a statement late Thursday claiming the two men took �suspicious photos� of the religious places, also known as Husseiniyahs. It said the two men had entered Kuwait separately in the past two months.

Their arrests come ahead of next week�s Shia commemoration of Ashura, which marks the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Hussein (PBUH), the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), at the Battle of Karbala in present-day Iraq in the 7th century.

Kuwaiti police have promised increased security ahead of Ashura.

�Kuwait has pursued a double standard policy on the Islamic Republic in the past few years,� Abtahi said.

It was only weeks ago that Kuwait�s Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah�said his country is keen to develop friendly ties with Iran based on �mutual respect�.

By Financial Tribune