Bolton warns Iran against disrupting Bahrain conference

US National Security Advisor John Bolton warned Iran Tuesday against disrupting a Bahrain conference on Middle East peace, amid soaring tensions between Washington and Tehran. "Iran has engaged over the past couple of months in a long series of unprovoked and unjustifiable attacks," Bolton said.

Tehran last week shot down a US spy aircraft which it says entered Iranian territory, a claim denied by Washington. The US has also accused the Islamic Republic of involvement in a series of attacks on Gulf shipping, accusations Iran refutes.

The United States on Tuesday launches a conference in Manama unveiling the economic aspects of its plan for Israeli-Palestinian peace. "In that kind of environment, threatening the conference in Bahrain is always a possibility," Bolton said during a visit to Jerusalem.

"It would be a big mistake for Iran to continue this kind of behaviour," he added. Bolton was responding to a journalist's question about possible Iranian interference, but no evidence has come to light that Tehran is planning to disrupt the conference.