Verbal Clash Between Iran and Bahrain Over the IRGC and Arming Shiites

The spokesperson for Iran's Foreign Ministry reacted to a statement from Bahrain's Ministry of Interior on Saturday, rejecting reports that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) played a role in arming and training detained Shiite dissidents in Bahrain. Bahram Qasemi described the statements from Bahrain's Ministry of Interior as 'projection' and 'repetition of baseless claims' that, according to the Islamic Republic of Iran, 'will not resolve the problems of the Bahraini government with its people.' Officials from the Sunni monarchy of Bahrain announced the arrest of 116 members of an armed Shiite group on Saturday, claiming that Iran was the founder and supporter of this group. The Ministry of Interior of Bahrain added that 48 of the detainees were members of a network that had been trained at IRGC bases in Iran. Tehran has repeatedly denied similar accusations in the past. The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson also referred to these claims as 'projection and the formulation of repetitive scenarios' and advised Bahraini officials to 'create an environment for interaction and dialogue with their people instead of intensifying security and police approaches.' The Ministry of Interior of Bahrain stated that some weapons and ammunition were also discovered during the arrests. Hussein Aryan, a military affairs expert in Newcastle, UK, stated that previous statements from Iranian military and political officials regarding Bahrain do not help Iran. He noted, 'Evidence shows that Iran is indeed intervening in what is happening in Bahrain. Although they have not officially stated this, the statements of IRGC commanders and some government officials supporting Bahraini Shiites lead to the conclusion that Iran is providing both direct and indirect assistance to these Shiites.' This military expert further added that 'in some cases, Bahraini officials may use this connection with Iran against the Shiites of this country and exert additional pressure on them.' Aryan also mentioned that if there are elements of truth in the accusations of connections between Bahraini Shiites and Iran, and if Bahrain has exaggerated these elements, it would be acceptable from the perspective of Arab countries in the region that are firmly opposed to the Islamic Republic, especially Saudi Arabia. He concluded that 'Bahrain's statements about Iran are also acceptable to Americans, as in addition to the British naval base, the most important US military base - the Fifth Fleet of Centcom - is located in Bahrain. Therefore, from a political standpoint, Bahrain's statements are much more favorable and acceptable for the US and the UK. What cannot be truly denied is that Iran's assistance to Bahraini Shiites continues in various ways, and the support of at least some Iranian officials indicates this support.' Whatever the main issue is, Bahrain's Ministry of Interior added on Sunday that the arrested suspects had planned to disrupt public security and harm Bahrain's economy by attacking political officials, security authorities, and the country's oil facilities. According to Hussein Alizadeh, a former diplomat of the Islamic Republic in Helsinki, these statements primarily indicate that tensions in relations between most Arab countries bordering the Persian Gulf and Iran are far from subsiding. He said, 'Bahrain feels the greatest danger from the Islamic Republic in a situation where it has suppressed opposing groups - dissenting Shiites - who had taken to the streets. Overall, Bahrain attributes dissenting Shiites to Iran due to their religious identity and claims that Iran incites Bahraini Shiites. Iran continuously and repeatedly denies Bahrain's accusations.' A researcher at the Peace Studies Foundation at the University of Tampere in Finland added, 'What is important is that such incidents periodically occur not only in Bahrain but also, for example, in Kuwait, where the Abdali group was discovered, and Kuwait claimed they were linked to Iran, which Iran denied, while Kuwait made serious accusations against them. Such cases, which have become too numerous to count, show us that - except for Qatar and Oman, which have good relations with Iran - the conditions of tension between the two sides of the Persian Gulf are extremely volatile, and such tensions arise from time to time, with opposing Arab countries attributing dissenting activities to the Islamic Republic, while Iran denies involvement in these incidents.' Since the protests seven years ago in the Middle Eastern countries known as the 'Arab Spring,' Bahrain has witnessed the suppression of dissenters against its government. Bahrain has also increased the level of repression against dissenters by dissolving opposition parties, imprisoning or revoking the citizenship of prominent dissidents, and placing a senior Shiite cleric under house arrest. The Bahraini government denies the accusation of discrimination against the Shiites of this country. The Islamic Republic of Iran also denies the accusation that the IRGC provides weapons and military training to opposing Shiite groups.