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Bahrain Sentences Three Defendants to Life Imprisonment for Collaborating with the IRGC

Bahrain Sentences Three Defendants to Life Imprisonment for Collaborating with the IRGC
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Bahrain Sentences Three Defendants to Life Imprisonment for Collaborating with the IRGC

Bahrain Sentences Three Defendants to Life Imprisonment for Collaborating with the IRGC

Bahrain's High Criminal Court on Tuesday sentenced three defendants to life imprisonment for collaborating with Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and engaging in hostile acts against the Kingdom of Bahrain.

The court also sentenced 10 other defendants to prison terms of up to five years on charges of committing acts of violence and sabotage during the heinous Iranian attacks on the country.

Regarding the three defendants sentenced to life imprisonment, the head of Bahrain's Terrorism Crimes Prosecution stated that the High Criminal Court, during its session on Tuesday, issued rulings in two separate cases involving collaboration with a hostile foreign state. The three defendants were charged with collaborating with Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and those acting on its behalf in order to assist it in carrying out its hostile and terrorist acts against the Kingdom of Bahrain and harming its interests. The court sentenced all three to life imprisonment and ordered the confiscation of the seized items.

The prosecutor said the first case stemmed from information, later confirmed by investigations conducted by the General Directorate of Criminal Investigation and Forensic Science, indicating that the first defendant, a fugitive wanted by the security authorities and currently outside the country, was working on behalf of Iran's IRGC and had recruited the second defendant, who was in Bahrain, to provide information on vital locations across the Kingdom for the purpose of targeting them during the brutal Iranian aggression.

He added that the second case arose from information, also confirmed by investigations conducted by the General Directorate of Criminal Investigation and Forensic Science, indicating that the defendant had communicated with an online account operated by the terrorist Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), providing it with video footage of the heinous Iranian terrorist attacks on vital facilities in the Kingdom of Bahrain. He also sent a number of locations and coordinates of vital sites inside the country to be targeted by the enemy, thereby threatening the security and safety of the Kingdom of Bahrain and the lives of its citizens and residents.

The Public Prosecution immediately launched investigations into both cases upon receiving the reports. It questioned the two defendants inside the country, heard testimony from witnesses, and appointed technical experts to examine the seized electronic devices.

The investigation concluded that the data and information provided by the defendants to Iran's IRGC "constituted a fundamental pillar in the heinous hostile Iranian terrorist attacks" that targeted a number of vital and important facilities and infrastructure across the Kingdom of Bahrain, placing the country's security and stability at risk.

He added: "Accordingly, the Public Prosecution ordered that the defendants be referred to the High Criminal Court. The two cases were heard separately over several sessions, during which all prescribed legal guarantees were observed, including the presence of the defendants' lawyers and their full opportunity to present their defense, before the court issued its ruling during Tuesday's session."

In this context, the Public Prosecution affirmed that the crime of collaborating with foreign states hostile to the Kingdom of Bahrain is among the gravest offenses against national security because it enables such states to obtain information that can be exploited to carry out hostile acts targeting the Kingdom and its interests. The Public Prosecution also stressed that, within the authority granted to it by law, it will continue to firmly confront anyone who commits such criminal acts and take the necessary deterrent legal measures against them in order to safeguard the country's security and stability.

Prison Sentences for 10 Defendants

The head of the Terrorism Crimes Prosecution also stated that the High Criminal Court, during its session on Tuesday, issued rulings in two separate cases involving 10 defendants who committed acts of violence and sabotage during the heinous Iranian attacks on the Kingdom of Bahrain last March.

The court sentenced them to prison terms of up to five years and ordered the confiscation of the seized items.

The two cases stemmed from reports submitted to the Public Prosecution by the competent security authority at the Ministry of Interior stating that the defendants had been apprehended in the act at the scene of the two incidents after participating in acts of violence and sabotage that coincided with the heinous Iranian attacks on the Kingdom of Bahrain, after which they were referred to the Public Prosecution.

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Gulf

Senior Officials, Business Leaders to Attend French-Saudi Roundtable on Monday

Saudi Crown Prince during a previous meeting with the French president at the Élysée Palace in Paris (SPA).
Saudi Crown Prince during a previous meeting with the French president at the Élysée Palace in Paris (SPA).
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Senior Officials, Business Leaders to Attend French-Saudi Roundtable on Monday

Saudi Crown Prince during a previous meeting with the French president at the Élysée Palace in Paris (SPA).
Saudi Crown Prince during a previous meeting with the French president at the Élysée Palace in Paris (SPA).

As part of the official visit of Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, to France, Paris will host the French-Saudi Investment Roundtable Meeting on Monday.

Organized by the Ministry of Investment, the roundtable will bring together senior government officials, business leaders, and CEOs of major companies from both countries.

The roundtable will feature strategic discussions among business leaders on industrial partnerships, transportation and logistics, artificial intelligence, and digital infrastructure. Several agreements and memoranda of understanding covering a range of sectors are also expected to be signed.

The meeting builds on the growing economic and investment ties between Saudi Arabia and France.

It supports joint efforts to expand cooperation, strengthen partnerships between the two countries’ business communities, and translate promising opportunities into high-quality investments and projects that advance their shared interests.

Gulf

Saudi Arabia Condemns Terrorist Attack on Syria Internal Security Bus

This handout picture released by the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) shows a badly damaged bus at the side of a road following a blast in the countryside near the capital Damascus on August 22, 2026. (Photo by SANA / AFP)
This handout picture released by the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) shows a badly damaged bus at the side of a road following a blast in the countryside near the capital Damascus on August 22, 2026. (Photo by SANA / AFP)
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Saudi Arabia Condemns Terrorist Attack on Syria Internal Security Bus

This handout picture released by the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) shows a badly damaged bus at the side of a road following a blast in the countryside near the capital Damascus on August 22, 2026. (Photo by SANA / AFP)
This handout picture released by the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) shows a badly damaged bus at the side of a road following a blast in the countryside near the capital Damascus on August 22, 2026. (Photo by SANA / AFP)

The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs has condemned the terrorist attack targeting a bus belonging to the Internal Security Command (ISC) in Rif Dimashq Governorate, Syria, which injured a number of ISC personnel.

In a statement issued Saturday, the ministry affirmed Saudi Arabia's solidarity with and full support for all measures taken by the Syrian government to combat all forms of extremism and terrorism.

It also wished Syria and its people lasting security and peace, and a swift recovery for the injured.

Gulf

From Understanding to Implementation: Riyadh and Paris Redraw their Partnership

French President Emmanuel Macron welcomes Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, at the Elysee Palace in Paris on June 16, 2023. (SPA)
French President Emmanuel Macron welcomes Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, at the Elysee Palace in Paris on June 16, 2023. (SPA)
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From Understanding to Implementation: Riyadh and Paris Redraw their Partnership

French President Emmanuel Macron welcomes Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, at the Elysee Palace in Paris on June 16, 2023. (SPA)
French President Emmanuel Macron welcomes Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, at the Elysee Palace in Paris on June 16, 2023. (SPA)

Saudi-French relations enter a distinct phase with the visit by Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, to Paris. The partnership between the two nations is no longer governed solely by the traditional files that have long formed the relationship's foundation. Instead, it is moving across a broader scope that brings together the economy, technology, energy, defense, and culture, placing project implementation at the forefront of the upcoming period.

The state visit carries a significance that transcends its protocol dimension, coming at a time when both countries are testing the ability of the partnership built over recent years to transition from understandings and agreements into projects with a direct impact. This is taking place as Saudi economic transformations redraw its requirements from international partners, while France is seeking a more firmly established position within the ongoing transformation taking place in the Kingdom.

The holding of the Saudi-French Strategic Partnership Council for the first time during the visit reflects this transformation in the nature of the relationship. The council, established following President Emmanuel Macron's visit to Saudi Arabia in late 2024, was designed to serve as an overarching framework for relations in political, economic, cultural, defense, and other fields, thereby providing cooperation between Riyadh and Paris with an institutional channel at the leadership level of both nations.

A partnership in search of ‘the project’

In previous years, it was easy to list the fields of Saudi-French cooperation: energy, defense, aviation, transport, culture, and tourism. The new phase, however, appears more closely linked to a different question: what can the two countries build together?

Here, the priorities of Saudi Vision 2030 intersect with French industrial and technological capabilities. Saudi Arabia is expanding its economy outside traditional sectors, searching for advanced technologies, industrial expertise, and investment models capable of supporting sectors such as artificial intelligence, advanced industries, health, tourism, hospitality, and new energy.

Conversely, French companies view the Saudi market as one of the world's major new growth arenas, rather than merely a market for products and services. The scale and diversity of Saudi projects grant French firms the opportunity to participate across different phases of the project lifecycle - from design and engineering to operations, localization, and knowledge transfer.

Figures demonstrate the expanding economic base of the relationship. The volume of trade exchange between the two nations reached approximately $11.79 billion (44.2 billion riyals) in 2025. Meanwhile, the stock of direct French investments in Saudi Arabia rose to around $18.52 billion (69.45 billion riyals) in 2024, compared to roughly $7.49 billion (28.09 billion riyals) in 2015, according to data from recent studies on economic relations between the two countries.

Over a single decade, total Saudi-French trade reached around $93.04 billion (348.9 billion riyals), indicating that the economic relationship has become more deeply established than being the product of an individual deal or an isolated project.

Energy: The changing yet continuous relationship

For many years, energy has formed one of the sturdiest bridges in the relationship. However, the nature of this cooperation is shifting with the transformation of the energy sector itself. Moving beyond major partnerships in refining and petrochemicals, most notably "SATORP" between Saudi Aramco and TotalEnergies, the cooperation agenda is heading toward broader fields that include renewable energy, hydrogen, energy storage, smart grids, and carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS), alongside critical minerals.

This transformation aligns with Riyadh's efforts to build a more diversified energy system, and with Paris's desire to expand the presence of its companies in industrial transformation and low-emission energy projects.

Consequently, energy in the Saudi-French relationship is no longer an isolated file, but has instead become part of reshaping the economy, supply chains, and technologies that will serve both economies during the coming decades.

From supplier to partner

The same transformation applies to defense cooperation. The relationship, which has historically been built on training, armaments, and the development of military capabilities, is gradually moving toward fields more closely tied to localization, technology transfer, maintenance, training, and the development of domestic capabilities.

The Kingdom's direction toward localizing a larger share of its defense industries gives international partnerships a different meaning. The requirement is no longer merely acquiring a military system or platform, but building a sustainable domestic capability around it.

This opens an avenue for French companies to participate in a broader ecosystem that encompasses manufacturing, engineering services, training, and research and development.

Paris as a European gateway... and Riyadh as a regional hub

The economic agenda is inseparable from political developments. Saudi Arabia possesses growing political and economic weight in the Middle East and the Arab and Islamic worlds, while France enjoys permanent membership in the UN Security Council, an influential presence within the European Union, and the ability to maneuver regarding regional files.

Coordination between Riyadh and Paris, therefore, has gained importance that transcends bilateral relations, particularly regarding regional security, the Palestinian cause, Lebanon, Syria, and maritime security.

Amid the disruption of trade and energy routes in the region, the importance of seeking more diversified and resilient pathways to transport energy and goods between the Middle East and Europe also emerges - a file where the economic intersects with the strategic.

Saudi-French diplomatic relations date back to 1926, while France opened its diplomatic mission in Jeddah in 1932. However, King Faisal bin Abdulaziz’s stop in Paris in 1967 and his meeting with President Charles de Gaulle represented a significant turning point in building a deeper political relationship.

Since that time, visits and agreements have continued, leading to a phase in which relations experienced accelerated expansion concurrently with Saudi Vision 2030.

The importance of Crown Prince Mohammed’s current visit lies in the fact that it comes after a long accumulation of agreements and understandings, and in the presence of a new institutional framework for the partnership.

Therefore, the essential task ahead for Riyadh and Paris today appears less connected to proving the strength of the relationship, and more to demonstrating what this relationship can produce.

The equation taking shape between the two countries is no longer: what does France sell to Saudi Arabia, and what does Saudi Arabia buy from France? Rather, it is how both parties can invest the major transformations in their economies and global standings to build shared interests that extend for years to come.

This is precisely what makes the state visit to Paris a milestone in the trajectory of the relationship, rather than merely another routine stop within it.