MANAMA, Bahrain—Bahrain declared a three-month state of emergency and handed wide powers to the armed forces, as it moved to quell weeks of demonstrations by mainly Shiite protesters a day after the arrival of Saudi troops.
Bahrain also temporarily withdrew its ambassador from Tehran, after Iran described the arrival of the troops as an "occupation."
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia denied a report that a protester shot and killed one of its soldiers.
Bahrain television reported a member of the security forces had died after being run over by a protester. The government said the state of emergency gives Bahrain's army and security forces a mandate "to take the measures and procedures necessary to preserve the safety of the nation and its people." Bahrain has seen clashes over the past few days between security forces, antigovernment demonstrators and pro-regime loyalists, marking an escalation of tensions in the strategic Arab Gulf state, where a swelling number of protesters have taken control of the key financial district and are calling for the downfall of the monarchy.
On Tuesday, members of opposition groups reported clashes in Sitra and Shiite and Sunni villages near the capital between pro-government and antigovernment parties.
"There have been attacks in six villages," said Abdul Khalil, a senior member of the moderate Al Wefaq party. "They [pro-government mobs] attacked the Shia and Sunni villages. They had guns and security forces had to use tear gas. This is a terrible and complicated situation."
Underlining growing U.S. concerns about deteriorating security, the Pentagon said Tuesday it authorized the departure, on a voluntary basis, of nonemergency civilian personnel and service members' families.
Bahrain's six formal opposition parties and secular groups issued a statement late Tuesday condemning emergency law and the widespread attacks on mainly Shiite communities outside of the capital. "The political opposition parties and the Federation of Trade Unions denounce the state of emergency declared by the regime and the escalation of the security situation and the use of the military to resolve a political crisis caused by the regime itself," said a translation.
It also denounced the "military and civil militias that brutally attack unarmed civilians in their homes and villages," which it said reinforced its call to the international community to "protect the Bahraini people from the brutality of the security forces and domestic and international armies."
Members of Bahrain's opposition Monday had appealed to United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon for help, amid a growing crisis in the country.
Meanwhile, opposition members said hopes for dialogue were fading. "We can't start dialogue with violence everywhere in the country," said Mr. Khalil. "We don't need more guns. Security forces from Gulf countries will put oil on the fire."
"I don't think there is room for dialogue," said Abdul AlSingace, a senior figure in the hard-line Haq movement. Foreign troops in Bahrain will provoke protesters into further acts of "civil disobedience," he said.
The White House on Tuesday called for "calm and restraint" on all sides.
The U.S. hopes to avoid further escalation. At a news conference in Cairo, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expressed concern about the violence in Bahrain, adding that "all sides must take steps now to negotiate toward a political solution." She said she had expressed similar concerns in a telephone conversation Tuesday with Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal.
The State Department dispatched Jeffrey Feltman, acting assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern Affairs, to Bahrain.
State Department spokesman Mark Toner said that Mr. Feltman's "message is that there is no military solution to the problems in Bahrain. A political solution is necessary and all sides must now work to produce a dialogue that addresses the needs of all of Bahrain's citizens
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