Bahrain's government hit back at Iranian criticism of the life sentence against Ali Salman, saying that Tehran's statements "reflect the aggressive nature of the regime in Iran" and "mirror the Iranian policy which interferes in the internal affairs of the Kingdom of Bahrain and other Arab states in order to promote chaos, tension and violence in the region". The Bahraini response further noted that Iran was trying "to cover the suffering of the Iranian people which results from the regime's practices... and its support for terrorism in the region against the interests of the Iranian people who live in poverty, repression and violence caused by the Iranian regime". It went on to call for "active action and a firm response by the international community to force the Iranian regime to respect international laws and charters, the sovereignty and independence of states and non-interference in its internal matters".