(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - "The Persian Gulf is being targeted by attacks seeking to discredit religion and eliminate the material interests and wealth it holds," Al-Watan newspaper quoted Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Abdullah Al al-Sheikh as saying in his Friday sermon in Riyadh.

Al-Sheikh warned people not to follow "enemies" who called on them to protest, saying they aimed to divide the people of the region.

Unrest has erupted among majority Shi'ites in Bahrain and minority Shi'ites in Eastern Saudi Arabia in the last two years. Sunni authorities have repeatedly blamed Shi'ite Iran, which denies involvement.

Tension has also run high over Iran's disputed nuclear programme, which Persian Gulf Arab rulers fear could help Iran acquire nuclear weapons.

The al-Saud dynasty rules in alliance with clerics who back the royal family and have wide influence over Saudi society.

Al-Watan said al-Sheikh also lashed out at what he called "satellite channels that broadcast evil" and urged owners to use them to promote security and obey their country's rulers.

Since February 2011, Shiite protesters have held demonstrations on an almost regular basis in the Kingdom's east, mainly in Qatif and Awamiyah, calling for the release of all political prisoners, freedom of expression and assembly, and an end to widespread discrimination.

However, the demonstrations have turned into protests against the repressive Al Saud regime, especially since November 2011, when Saudi security forces killed five protesters and injured many others in the region.

Saudi forces have also arrested dozens of people including prominent Shia cleric Sheikh Nemr al-Nemr.

According to Human Rights Watch, the Saudi regime “routinely represses expression critical of the government.”

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