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Bahrain: Detained IRGC-linked Group Consisted of Members of Dissolved Scholars Council

A view of Bahrain's financial district in the capital city of Manama. (Reuters file)
A view of Bahrain's financial district in the capital city of Manama. (Reuters file)
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Bahrain: Detained IRGC-linked Group Consisted of Members of Dissolved Scholars Council

A view of Bahrain's financial district in the capital city of Manama. (Reuters file)
A view of Bahrain's financial district in the capital city of Manama. (Reuters file)

Bahrain’s Ministry of Interior clarified on Sunday that the organization linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Wilayat Al-Faqih ideology consisted of members of the dissolved “Islamic Scholars Council.”

The members of the organization had formed and led a terrorist organization, financed terrorism, coordinated with Iran and groups in Iraq and Lebanon classified as terrorist organizations, and received military training in support of those activities, said the ministry in a statement carried by Bahrain’s state news agency BNA.

The ministry announced that security measures it had taken led to the arrest of 41 members of the organization in Bahrain. Eleven other members based in Iran have been identified as intermediaries between the IRGC and operatives affiliated with the organization in the kingdom.

The ministry noted that members of the organization “practiced systematic intimidation against members of Bahrain’s Shiite community, exploiting them and carrying out covert activities.”

“The organization had infiltrated a number of religious, social, charitable and educational institutions, including kindergartens, schools and religious seminaries, as well as key areas of community activity” with the aim “to promote allegiance to foreign entities, specifically the IRGC, while encouraging hostility towards the state and disregard for its laws at the expense of national loyalty.”

It added that the organization also “sought to influence and undermine the national will of members of the Shiite community in Bahrain.”

The ministry added that members of the organization “sought to control and politicize sermons delivered by religious scholars and Hussaini reciters in mosques, matams (community centers) and religious occasions, while resorting to intimidation against those overseeing such activities.”

“The organization committed criminal acts and engaged in practices that spread fear among citizens, in addition to collecting funds for unlawful purposes and activities in violation of the law, posing a threat to community security and civil peace through receiving funds from IRGC operatives in Iran to finance terrorist activities in Bahrain,” continued the statement.

The ministry said the organization's activities had been under surveillance and monitoring, and that the measures taken were aimed at safeguarding the security of Bahrain and preserving the safety and stability of society in all its segments and components.

The ministry stressed that it will “continue to counter any threats to the kingdom’s security and stability and will take firm action against any attempts to undermine civil peace or incite discord and division within Bahraini society.”

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Gulf

Faisal bin Farhan Visits Moscow for Talks on Saudi-Russian Ties

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan (SPA)
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan (SPA)
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Faisal bin Farhan Visits Moscow for Talks on Saudi-Russian Ties

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan (SPA)
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan (SPA)

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah on Tuesday met with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, in Moscow.

Discussions were set to focus on bilateral relations, as well as developments in the region and the world.

Gulf

Saudi Arabia Says Reserves Right to Respond to Houthi Attacks that Wounded 73 Civilians

The Kingdom vowed that "it will not be lenient against any assault that targets its territories." (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The Kingdom vowed that "it will not be lenient against any assault that targets its territories." (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Arabia Says Reserves Right to Respond to Houthi Attacks that Wounded 73 Civilians

The Kingdom vowed that "it will not be lenient against any assault that targets its territories." (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The Kingdom vowed that "it will not be lenient against any assault that targets its territories." (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Arabia underscored on Tuesday its right to take all necessary measures to protect its sovereignty and security for its citizens and residents following the terrorist Houthi militia attack that targeted civilian and economic areas in Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jazan and Najran that left 73 people wounded, including women and children.

In a statement, the Saudi Foreign Ministry strongly condemned the attacks, as well as the Houthis’ continued attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea and their threats to international marine navigation.

It reiterated its categorical rejection of the “hostile” and “criminal behavior” that the Houthis are adopting in threatening the security and stability of Yemen and its Arab and Islamic surroundings, as well as their continued rejection of peace efforts.

The Kingdom vowed that “it will not be lenient against any assault that targets its territories and capabilities,” stressing that “the measures it takes to defend its sovereignty and security are in line with international law.”

It demanded “an immediate halt to all forms of escalation and threats to marine navigation,” calling on the international community “to assume its responsibilities and implement relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions.”

Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi strongly condemned the “terrorist attacks” carried out by the Houthi group against the Kingdom, saying they are a “flagrant violation of all international laws and norms” that deliberately disregard the security and safety of civilians and regional stability.

“These recurring attacks once again expose the malicious intent of the Houthi group and demonstrate its explicit rejection of all efforts aimed at achieving peace and stability in Yemen,” he said in a statement.

"Targeting civilian installations and national capabilities is a condemned terrorist act that cannot be justified or tolerated under any pretext. The Houthi group's persistence in these hostile practices represents a blatant challenge to the international community and a direct threat to regional and international peace and security," Albudaiwi stressed.

He further underscored “the urgent need for the international community to adopt a firm and deterrent stance against these violations, hold perpetrators and their backers accountable, and halt this ongoing terrorist conduct that jeopardizes regional security and the interests of its peoples.”

“GCC member states stand united alongside Saudi Arabia,” he added, expressing full solidarity with the Kingdom in confronting all threats to its security, stability, sovereignty, and national capabilities.

Albudaiwi reaffirmed complete GCC support for all measures and actions taken by the Kingdom to protect its territory, citizens, and residents, wishing the injured a swift and full recovery.

Gulf

Alliances, Energy Security and Balanced Partnerships: Pillars of Saudi Stability

Speakers are seen at the panel discussion at the Security and History Dialogue 2026 Conference in Riyadh on Monday. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Speakers are seen at the panel discussion at the Security and History Dialogue 2026 Conference in Riyadh on Monday. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Alliances, Energy Security and Balanced Partnerships: Pillars of Saudi Stability

Speakers are seen at the panel discussion at the Security and History Dialogue 2026 Conference in Riyadh on Monday. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Speakers are seen at the panel discussion at the Security and History Dialogue 2026 Conference in Riyadh on Monday. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Political and economic experts linked security, stable energy supplies and independent decision-making as key pillars of Saudi stability, stressing that alliances can deter wars, while domestic security protects the energy industry and balanced partnerships allow the Kingdom to maintain international ties without compromising its sovereignty.

The remarks were made during a panel Monday at the Security and History Dialogue 2026 Conference in Riyadh.

Alliances to prevent wars

Saudi journalist and Asharq Al-Awsat columnist Abdulrahman Al-Rashed noted that Iran had attacked nine countries in the region and that major alliances were needed to prevent war.

He pointed to the establishment of the Gulf Cooperation Council as a bloc formed to confront Iranian threats, while other coalitions followed, including the alliance that liberated Kuwait, in which the GCC played a role.

Saudi Arabia has faced attacks from three fronts — directly from Iran, as well as from Iraq and Yemen — prompting countries to seek common ground, Al-Rashed added.

He described the Saudi-Pakistani-Turkish alliance as bringing together regional countries bordering Iran, but stressed that its purpose goes beyond Tehran and is aimed more broadly at protecting states from attacks.

Al-Rashed highlighted longstanding military ties between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, dating to the 1970s and 1990s, as well as growing military cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Türkiye over the past three or four years.

He also cited the strength of Türkiye’s defense industry, saying that such cooperation sends a clear message that attacking any of the three countries would carry a high cost.

Security and energy supplies

Energy adviser Ibrahim Al-Muhanna described domestic and international energy security and stability as essential to economic growth, internal stability and citizens’ well-being, alongside the availability of petroleum products and other energy sources worldwide.

Saudi Arabia is the world’s second-largest oil producer, and has at times been first, as well as its second-largest exporter, he noted. The Kingdom is also virtually alone in maintaining spare production capacity that enables it to compensate for supply shortages elsewhere.

Al-Muhanna stressed that domestic security and stability underpin the Kingdom’s continued role in the oil industry and its ability to supply global markets. Protecting oil facilities has been a priority since the reign of King Abdulaziz, beginning around the time the Kingdom signed an agreement with an American company, he added.

Recalling the 1980s tanker war during the Iran-Iraq War, Al-Muhanna explained that Saudi Arabia began considering ways to export oil from the Gulf to the Red Sea and planning the East-West pipeline. The pipeline now carries about 7 million barrels and supplies refineries on the Red Sea, while providing an alternative route when Gulf exports face disruptions.

Balancing partnerships and independence

Abdulaziz Sager, chairman of the Gulf Research Center, highlighted Saudi Arabia’s ability to maintain its international relationships while balancing ties with competing global powers.

He pointed to Riyadh’s position on the Russia-Ukraine war as an example of that balance: the Kingdom voted against Russia and provided humanitarian aid to Ukraine while maintaining relations with Moscow.

Saudi Arabia also supported the establishment of the GCC, was a founding member of the Arab League, hosts the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and belongs to international organizations and the G20.

For the Kingdom, partnership does not mean relinquishing independence or sovereignty but instead reinforces the principles of neutrality and balance, Sager added.

Forward-looking policy

International relations researcher Joseph Kechichian described Saudi foreign policy as consistent over time and, in most cases, forward-looking.

While Saudi society is traditional, past and present developments have allowed it to evolve, contrary to some outside perceptions of authority in the Kingdom, he observed.

That consistency has evolved from reliance on basic security guarantees into a pragmatic strategy. Saudi Arabia’s strategic alignment at times extends beyond longstanding security partnerships with the US, UK and others to include relations with China, Russia and countries of the Global South, he said.

He stressed that the approach is aimed at promoting regional stability and supporting economic transformation.