From Bahrain to the UAE: Gulf States Expand Anti-Shia Crackdowns During Direct Strikes on Iran

The Bahraini authorities have launched a draconian crackdown targeting Shia Muslims under the guise of combating “Iranian networks” and “terrorist plots” following suit from neighbouring Gulf State amid the US-Israeli war against Iran. While portraying their actions as self defense, the facts paint a rather different story- one of antagonism and direct participation in a war that violates the UN Charter.
Over the weekend, Manama launched a wave of raids, arresting 41 Bahraini Shia clerics in 72 hours, using the initial justification that they maintained ties to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Later, however, a different charge was invoked to justify the action; “financing terrorism”, without specifying any specific terrorist entity.
The move, carried out by the sectarian Sunni Khalifa family that rules over a majority Shia Muslim population, has triggered yet another series of public demonstrations throughout the small Persian Gulf nation. In total, over 350 Bahraini Shia nationals have been subjected to arrest since the beginning of the latest US-Israeli aggression on Iran.
Some of the detained scholars are elderly and/or chronically ill, leading to concerns that their health conditions could rapidly deteriorate. In March, 32-year-old Sayed Mohamed Almosawi died in Bahraini custody bearing clear signs of torture, drawing condemnation from human rights groups.
On Tuesday, the Bahraini authorities then sentenced 3 people to life imprisonment, claiming they were linked to the IRGC, while 20 others were given sentences of up to 10 years in prison, ten of whom were sentenced for supporting Tehran by “filming in prohibited locations and disseminating banned statements”. So far, 69 Bahraini nationals have been stripped of their citizenships since February 28, a move that targeted even the family members of those accused of sympathising with Iran.
During the height of the US-Israeli war on Iran earlier this year, Manama even announced it would pursue the death penalty when prosecuting individuals who were accused of supporting Iran.
“The death penalty is being used as a tool of political suppression”, said Bahraini exile and human rights activist Sayed Yusuf Almuhafdha.
Gulf States Crackdown on Shia Muslims
Meanwhile, since the imposition of the temporary Iran-US ceasefire, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Kuwait, have also taken similar steps against Shia Muslims and sought to antagonise the Iranian State. After previously arresting 27 Shias – most of whom were Emiratis – back in April, issuing contradictory statements as to why, Abu Dhabi began arbitrarily deporting Pakistani Shia workers this week.
Kuwait has also arrested a number of Shia Muslims it accused of maintaining ties to Hezbollah, a charge that the Lebanese group has denied. Stepping up their provocations, the Kuwaiti authorities decided to assault a ship carrying four Iranian citizens, detaining them and accusing the group of working on behalf of Tehran to carry out an infiltration operation. In response, Iran has vowed that it maintains the right to respond to what it calls an “unlawful” escalation.
Furthermore, according to Bloomberg News, the UAE not only carried out multiple strikes against Iranian civilian infrastructure, one of its attacks was coordinated alongside the Israelis themselves. While Reuters has claimed that Saudi Arabia may too have carried out strikes against Iran, there is less evidence to back up this report, especially given the track record of the news outlet when it comes to the question of Iran.
Bahrain’s ongoing crackdown is lining itself deeper into the US-Israeli camp, but is also sparking condemnation from human rights organisations, especially as their suppression tactics are nothing new.
For example, one of the 41 Shia scholars detained, Sheikh Mohamed Sanqour, was previously arrested in 2023, after simply offering a criticism of the abuse of political prisoners inside the country.
Human Rights Watch’s Niku Jafarnia commented that “at this critical moment, Bahrain authorities should be expanding their efforts to protect people, not arresting them for peacefully demonstrating or posting on social media”.
Despite there being a series of campaigns throughout Bahrain, Kuwait, UAE and Saudi Arab, that have sought to silence critics of the US-Israeli war of aggression, a clear pattern is emerging that shows a targeted attempt to collectively punish Shia Muslims.
Although there is yet to be another large-scale Bahraini uprising against the latest wave of suppression against its citizenry, sporadic protests persist and appear to be escalating, in response to an intensified crackdown.
Robert Inlakesh is a political analyst, journalist and documentary filmmaker currently based in London, UK. He has reported from and lived in the occupied Palestinian territories and hosts the show ‘Palestine Files’. Director of ‘Steal of the Century: Trump’s Palestine-Israel Catastrophe’. Follow him on Twitter @falasteen47

Facts Only

* Bahrain launched raids, arresting 41 Shia clerics in 72 hours.
* The initial justification for the raids was ties to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
* A later charge invoked was "financing terrorism."
* 3 people were sentenced to life imprisonment, claimed to be linked to the IRGC.
* 20 others received sentences of up to 10 years in prison.
* Sixteen individuals were sentenced for supporting Tehran by "filming in prohibited locations and disseminating banned statements."
* 69 Bahraini nationals were stripped of their citizenships since February 28.
* The UAE and Kuwait also took steps against Shia Muslims, including deporting Pakistani Shia workers.
* Kuwait arrested Shia Muslims accused of maintaining ties to Hezbollah.
* The UAE carried out strikes against Iranian civilian infrastructure coordinated with Israelis.
* Human rights groups have commented on the need to protect people rather than arresting them for peaceful demonstration.

Executive Summary

Bahraini authorities initiated raids and arrests targeting Shia Muslims, initially citing ties to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), later shifting the charge to financing terrorism. These actions resulted in the detention of 41 Shia clerics within 72 hours. Subsequent judicial actions included life imprisonment sentences and sentences of up to ten years for supporting Tehran, alongside the stripping of citizenship for 69 Bahraini nationals. This crackdown coincided with a broader pattern in the region, where the UAE and Kuwait also took measures against Shia Muslims, including deportations and arrests related to alleged ties to Hezbollah. The situation occurred amid the US-Israeli war against Iran. Concerns have been raised by human rights groups regarding the detention conditions and use of the death penalty in prosecuting individuals linked to supporting Iran.

Full Take

The narrative presented frames localized security actions in Bahrain and the wider Gulf States as legitimate self-defense, yet the pattern emerging across multiple actors points toward a coordinated mechanism targeting a specific sectarian group. The transition of charges—from alleged ties to the IRGC to financing terrorism—demonstrates how legal frameworks are selectively deployed to justify suppression, linking religious identity directly to state security threats. This selective application of law, coupled with the detention of vulnerable individuals, exemplified by the case of Sayed Mohamed Almosawi, indicates that the stated goals of combating external threats often mask internal political objectives. The simultaneous actions by multiple Gulf states against Shia populations, citing different justifications (IRGC ties, Hezbollah links), suggest a systemic effort to antagonize Iran and exert political control over the region. This pattern relies on weaponizing geopolitical conflict to achieve internal suppression, utilizing moral panic and fear appeals to silence dissent and justify measures that violate international human rights norms. The underlying implication is that the definition of security is used not to protect citizens universally, but to establish sectarian boundaries and consolidate power through targeted punitive measures.

Sentinel — Human

Confidence

The text functions as human-edited geopolitical commentary, blending specific factual claims with moral framing, suggesting human authorship rather than pure synthetic generation.

Signals Detected

Varied sentence length and an inconsistent tone; the text shifts between reportage and polemic.

Presence of idiosyncratic emphasis (e.g., the specific mention of Sayed Mohamed Almosawi's death) and focused moral framing, lacking the perfectly neutral tone of pure AI synthesis.

Effective linking of disparate events (Bahrain, UAE, Kuwait) into a coherent pattern of regional action, suggesting human thematic organization.

Attribution to specific human rights groups (Human Rights Watch) and named activists, alongside specific details (e.g., dates, names of detainees) points toward grounded reporting, although the structure is generalized.

Human Indicators

Incorporation of direct quotes from named activists and human rights organizations, and the specific, emotionally charged details regarding individual detainees and deaths, suggest human sourcing and editorial choice.

The transition between reporting on specific legal actions and broader geopolitical claims exhibits a human narrative flow rather than a purely statistical or linear informational dump.