Bahrain Accuses Iran of Training and Arming Pipeline Bombers in Saudi Arabia

On Wednesday, February 7, Bahrain announced the arrest of four individuals accused of involvement in the bombing of a Saudi Aramco pipeline. Manama claims that two of these suspects were trained and armed by Iran. The explosion occurred on November 10 in a pipeline that transported Aramco oil to the Bapco refinery near the Shiite village of 'Buri,' 15 kilometers from the Bahraini capital, disrupting oil flow. Bahraini officials at the time accused 'Iran-linked terrorists' of being involved in the explosion, a claim Tehran denied. The Bahraini Ministry of Interior stated that the four citizens, aged between 23 and 27, were arrested for 'conspiracy' and 'remote detonation' of the pipeline outside Manama. One of the individuals had previously been sentenced to 15 years in prison in another case. The statement added that the suspects 'immediately after returning from Iran, planned and executed the explosion of this pipeline... along with a series of other terrorist actions. They examined the explosion site and planted a remote-controlled bomb.' The ministry indicated that two of the suspects had received extensive training in the Revolutionary Guards camps in Iran, in collaboration with fugitive terrorists. The Ministry of Interior also mentioned that three other suspects are at large and being pursued. The mentioned explosion did not cause any injuries, and no group has claimed responsibility for it. Manama has accused these seven individuals of being connected to the 'February 14 Coalition,' a reference to a protest movement that emerged in 2011 against the Al Khalifa family, which has ruled Bahrain for two centuries. Since 2011, following the crackdown on Shiite protests against the Sunni government, hundreds have been stripped of citizenship, and protesters and opposition leaders have either been imprisoned or exiled. Manama has repeatedly accused Tehran of involvement in the protests, which Iran has denied. The Bahraini government's actions against dissenters have drawn severe criticism from human rights groups, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. Bahrain, a key U.S. ally in the Gulf, is situated between two regional rival powers, Iran and Saudi Arabia, and hosts the U.S. Fifth Fleet.