Bahrain Again Accuses Iran Following Deadly Explosion

Following a deadly explosion that occurred on Friday night, September 6, in the capital of Bahrain, officials in the country once again described the explosives as 'very similar' to materials that 'came from Iran.' According to AFP, one of the predominantly Shia areas of Manama, the capital of Bahrain, was the scene of an explosion that claimed the life of a police officer and left seven others injured. Among the injured were a child and four other police officers, one of whom is reported to be in critical condition. Following the incident, Bahrain's Minister of Information told AFP that the explosives used in this terrorist attack were 'very similar' to materials that 'came from Iran' and were seized by the authorities last month. In the first week of Mordad (July), Bahrain reported that it had discovered and neutralized 'a plot to smuggle weapons and explosives from Iran to Bahrain' and arrested two individuals in this regard. Following this accusation, an explosion occurred in the Sitra area of Bahrain, which the state news agency described as using explosives similar to those that were 'smuggled from Iran' and recently discovered and seized by the Bahraini police. Iran denied the allegations of smuggling weapons and explosives from its territory to Bahrain at the time, with the Iranian Foreign Minister stating that 'Bahrain's claims are absolutely false.' This is now the second time that similar explosives to those seized have been mentioned in Bahrain. Two weeks ago, Bahrain also arrested five individuals as suspects in recent bombings in the country, stating that the detainees were linked to the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Hezbollah. Bahrain, a small and sparsely populated country in the southern Persian Gulf, has faced widespread political and security unrest over the past four years. The majority of the population is Shia, while the rulers are Sunni. During this period, the Kingdom of Bahrain has repeatedly accused the Islamic Republic of Iran of inciting the Shia population against the government, a claim that Tehran has consistently denied.