Bahrain Arrests 41 People Linked to Iran’s IRGC, Interior Ministry Says

Bahrain announced on Saturday that its Interior Ministry arrested 41 people accused of belonging to a group linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), with “legal proceedings are under way against them”.

The arrests were tied to earlier investigations into espionage and “expressions of support for Iranian attacks” during the war launched against Iran in late February by Israel and the United States, according to the Qatar Tribune.

Al Jazeera

Fortune reported that Bahrain, which hosts the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet, said it arrested 41 people it alleged were linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, while investigations were ongoing but without details.

Fortune also said a tenuous ceasefire appeared to be holding Saturday after the United States struck two Iranian oil tankers, and that Washington was awaiting Iran’s response to a proposal to end the war, reopen the Strait of Hormuz to shipping, and roll back Tehran’s disputed nuclear program.

Iran issued a warning to Bahrain, with Ebrahim Azizi, head of the national security commission of Iran’s parliament, saying on social media: “Siding with the U.S.-backed resolution will bring severe consequences.”

In the same warning, Azizi added: “The Strait of Hormuz is a vital lifeline; do not risk closing it on yourselves FOREVER,” as Bahrain faced the fallout of the war in the Gulf.

Al Jazeera

Fortune framed the regional context by saying Iran has mostly blocked the critical waterway for global energy since the U.S. and Israel launched the war on Feb. 28, causing a global spike in fuel prices and rattling world markets.

The Qatar Tribune reported that Iran fired thousands of missiles and drones at its Gulf neighbours, including Bahrain, during the war, causing significant damage to US military sites.

Fortune said the United States disabled two Iranian tankers trying to breach the American blockade of Iran’s ports, and earlier thwarted attacks on three Navy ships while striking Iranian military facilities in the strait.

“Bahrain’s Interior Ministry says it has arrested dozens of people in the country accused of belonging to a group linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)”

Al Jazeera

It added that Britain planned to deploy the HMS Dragon to “preposition” in the region to join a U.K.- and French-led security plan for the Strait of Hormuz once hostilities end, while stressing it would not start until there is a sustainable ceasefire and maritime industry reassurance.

Diplomatic efforts were described as continuing “day and night,” with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif saying his country was in contact with the U.S. and Iran to extend the ceasefire and reach a peace deal.

Fortune also said Russia’s foreign ministry called for a “sustainable, long-term agreement” to end the war, while Egyptian and Qatari top diplomats reiterated that diplomacy is the sole path to a solution in a Saturday phone call between their foreign ministers.