Bahrain Jails Three for Life Over Alleged IRGC Ties

(MENAFN) A Bahraini court handed down life sentences to three individuals, among them a woman, on Tuesday after convicting them of coordinating with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to conduct hostile operations against the Gulf kingdom, a state news agency reported.

Bahrain's High Criminal Court delivered verdicts across two separate proceedings, with the woman's sentencing announced in the latter part of the day.

The woman was found guilty of maintaining contact with what the court designated the "terrorist organization" of Iran's IRGC, with the intent to execute hostile acts against Bahrain and undermine its national interests. The court additionally ordered the confiscation of all seized materials, the news agency reported.

The case against the woman originated after authorities detected a social media account allegedly publishing photographs and precise coordinates of sensitive strategic locations within Bahrain, according to the report. She was convicted of disseminating content deemed damaging to the kingdom's military, political, and economic standing, as well as material that purportedly praised and promoted Iranian attacks on Bahrain.

During questioning, the woman reportedly acknowledged using her account to assist what authorities characterized as aggressors by uploading images and location data of high-value sites, alongside commentary suggesting those sites could be struck.

In the earlier proceeding, the High Criminal Court sentenced two other individuals to life imprisonment on charges of conspiring with the IRGC to carry out what the court described as "terrorist and hostile acts" against the kingdom.

The court also issued rulings in four additional cases tied to violence and sabotage linked to Iranian strikes on Bahrain in March. Those defendants received sentences of up to five years and individual fines of 500 Bahraini dinars — roughly $1,326 each — the news agency noted.

Tuesday's verdicts form part of a sweeping crackdown by Bahraini authorities targeting individuals accused of collaborating with Tehran. Bahrain's Interior Ministry announced Saturday the dismantling of an IRGC-linked network following 41 arrests. On April 27, authorities stripped 69 people — including family members — of their citizenship over allegations of backing and glorifying Iranian attacks. Three days later, Bahraini media reported that parliament had expelled three sitting lawmakers accused of supporting defendants tied to the same alleged conduct.

The escalating legal response follows a series of Iranian missile and drone strikes targeting Bahrain and several other Arab nations between Feb. 28 and April 8, launched in retaliation for Israeli and US military operations.

MENAFN13052026000045017169ID1111107340