Cairo  - Morocco has announced that it is cutting diplomatic ties with Iran, following a dispute over the sovereignty of the Gulf state of Bahrain, Dubai based al-Arabiya satellite channel reported on Friday.

The move appears to be the culmination of a diplomatic row between Morocco and Iran over Tehran's alleged questioning of Bahrain's independence.

Ali Akbar Nateq-Nouri, an adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in February appeared to question Bahrain's sovereignty, saying that the Gulf island nation had earlier been Iran's "14th province".

Iran later issued a statement claiming Nateq-Nouri's statement was misunderstood, saying it was "committed" to Bahrain's independence.

The remarks heightened tensions between Shiite Iran and much of the Sunni Muslim world, with Morocco taking the most offence to the declaration.

Bahrain, despite having a Shiite majority population, is ruled by the Sunni Khalifa family.

In late February, Morocco recalled its representative in Tehran.

The Moroccan Football Federation announced on Thursday that they have cancelled the Atlas Lions' planned friendly with Iran, which was set to take place on April 1 in Barcelona. dpa