Bahrain Arrests 41 People Over Alleged Links to Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Primary region Middle East
Tags Security · Surveillance
Regions Middle East
Bahrain's Interior Ministry announced the arrest of 41 people accused of belonging to a group linked to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, following investigations into espionage and expressions of support for Iranian attacks during the US-Israel war on Iran. The network was also involved in collecting funds to transfer to the IRGC. This follows earlier rounds of arrests in March and the late-April revocation of citizenship from 69 people accused of sympathizing with Iran. Bahrain hosts the US Navy's Fifth Fleet headquarters.
Strategic interpretation
Bahrain's crackdown reflects the Gulf states' broader security response to Iran's wartime targeting of countries hosting US military bases. The mass citizenship revocations and arrests risk exacerbating sectarian tensions within Bahrain's Shia-majority population, potentially creating the very internal instability the crackdown aims to prevent.