Sheikh Khalid Al-Khalifa said in an interview with PBS NewsHour on Wednesday evening that concerns over Iranian interference may push the GCC to reshape its Gulf military presence.

"Any threat that any country would face would definitely, no doubt, affect its neighbors. Saudi Arabia is only 28 km away from here. We are looking at the GCC force to be expanded, to have multi-bases everywhere in the GCC," he told the US television program.

"So whether they leave or stay or be restructured, that's what is to be discussed in the future," he said.

Bahrain imposed emergency law and called in troops from neighboring Gulf countries in March to quash protests. Iran, just across Gulf waters, has issued several statements condemning the GCC troops' presence in the country.

Sheikh Khalid told NewsHour that Bahrain was getting a "daily barrage" of statements from Iran that worried the island kingdom. "I can tell you that they have people sympathizing with them here," he said. "There's definitely an Iranian interest group in Bahrain."

A military court on Thursday sentenced nine people to 20 years in prison after they were convicted of kidnapping a policeman. Among those sentenced was Sheikh Mohammed Habib Al-Safaf, a preacher who had previously been arrested along with 22 other activists and charged with terrorism.

The group was freed under a royal pardon in February after the outbreak of protests calling for democratic reforms in Bahrain.

The court was set up under the state of national safety, a lower level of emergency law declared by King Hamad in mid-March. Defendants have the right to appeal the court's rulings within 15 days.

Last month, authorities said that 405 detainees have been referred to national safety courts. Of them, 312 have been released.

The National Safety Appeals Court last month sentenced four people to death and three others to jail for life for killing two policemen by running them over with cars during the protests.

Nine policemen were injured Tuesday when a car hit them as they were dispersing a protest in a village, state news agency BNA said. Four of the policemen sustained critical injuries in the attack that took place in Nuwaidrat, south of Manama, said BNA, quoting a police officer.

Bahraini authorities have said 24 people were killed during the month-long unrest, most of them demonstrators.