Signs grow of Iranian involvement in Bahrain unrest

Three Bahraini policemen were killed in an explosion while dispersing “rioters” on Monday, as an escalation in the tactics of the opposition’s radical fringe raised concerns of Iranian meddling in the Gulf state.

The attack, which took place on Monday in the restive Manama suburb of Daih, comes as increasingly advanced explosives and techniques are employed against the security forces.

Bahrain has accused Iran of “active involvement” in attempting to keep the Gulf nation’s political crisis “alive”, saying foreign interference is undermining reform. After initial scepticism at Tehran’s involvement, Bahrain’s western allies are also increasingly wary of Iranian interference.

In an update of its response to an independent inquiry into the bloody unrest of 2011, the Bahraini government, which has recently unveiled seizures of large amounts of “deadly weaponry”, says Iran is training Bahrainis via third-party proxies as local insurgent groups with links to the Revolutionary Guard have emerged.

Since the Shia majority led pro-democracy protests against the minority Sunni-led government, Manama has often accused Iran of meddling in its internal affairs.

Iain Lindsay, the British Ambassador to Bahrain, last year condemned Iran, saying there was “increasing evidence” of Tehran “providing support to people bent on violence”.

The Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry found no evidence of Iranian involvement in the Bahrain uprising in 2011, when widespread street protests calling for greater democracy and an end to discrimination broke out, inspired by uprisings around the Arab world.

But three years later, as frequent clashes erupt in Shia villages, officials are concerned that radical elements and Iran may be exploiting the lack of progress in negotiations between the government and opposition.

Bahrain’s reform-minded crown prince, Sheikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, has intervened to revive the failing talks, launching a renewed dialogue in an attempt to span the yawning divide between government loyalists and the opposition.

Bahrain’s western allies, such as the UK and US, have been assisting Manama in assessing the rising sophistication of weaponry seized in raids over the past few months. One western official said the markings on recently inspected arms showed clear signs of Iranian involvement.

Improvised explosive devices are becoming more sophisticated, the official said. Rather than crude homemade devices, some have special attachments for connecting the bomb to a vehicle. Other material such as C-4 explosive and night-vision rifle sights have been discovered for the first time, the official added.

In its February BICI update, released on Sunday evening, the Bahrain government said 600 real and fake IEDs have been discovered since 2011, but in 2013 the number of real devices outnumbered the number of dummies.

The report said the country had “turned the corner” on the events of 2011, introducing measures such as police and judicial reform, including the creation of an independent ombudsman, and victim compensation.

The release of the report came just days after the US state department annual human rights report criticised Bahrain for ongoing abuses.

“Political leaders, medics and human rights activists it jailed are still in prison and no senior official has yet been held accountable for the torture or mass arrests.” said Brian Dooley of Washington-based advocacy group Human Rights First.

Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2014.