Gulf States Arrest 33 Shiites, Strip Dozens of Citizenship as Iran War Fuels Crackdown
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · May 13
Gulf States Arrest 33 Shiites, Strip Dozens of Citizenship as Iran War Fuels Crackdown
1 articles · Updated · The New York Times · May 13
Kuwait arrested 6 people over an alleged plot to assassinate leaders, the UAE accused 27 men of joining a secret terrorist group, and Bahrain stripped dozens of Shiites of citizenship.
The moves followed the Feb. 28 start of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, after Tehran launched thousands of attacks on Gulf states hosting U.S. military bases.
Gulf authorities have cast the detainees as traitors loyal to Shiite-led Iran, but the allegations are often vague and hard to verify because security cases reveal little evidence and trials are rarely open.
Rights activists and scholars say the arrests reflect a surge in exclusionary nationalism and a broader turn toward deeper authoritarianism in several Gulf monarchies.
Is the mass stripping of citizenship becoming the new weapon of war in the Middle East?
With their economies now a battlefield, are Gulf states creating more instability with internal crackdowns?
After the US-Israel War on Iran: Gulf States Escalate Repression Against Shiite Minorities
Overview
After the US-Israel war against Iran began in late February 2026, Gulf states like Bahrain, the UAE, and Kuwait quickly launched harsh crackdowns on their Shiite populations. These actions included mass arrests and stripping people of their citizenship, driven by deep fears among Gulf leaders about internal security and possible Iranian influence as regional instability grew. The sudden and severe measures show how the conflict triggered urgent responses, with Gulf governments targeting Shiite communities to prevent unrest and maintain control, even as these policies risked worsening sectarian tensions and undermining social cohesion.