Gulf states intensify crackdown on documenting Iranian strikes
Since the conflict began on February 28, Iran has repeatedly struck US military bases in the Persian Gulf region. Gulf states, seeking to conceal the impact, have arrested over 1,000 people, revoked citizenship, and denied hits despite evidence to the contrary.
A France 24 investigation reveals that Gulf states have pursued repressive policies against anyone documenting the aftermath of Iranian attacks. Since the war started on February 28, Iran has repeatedly responded to US and Israeli strikes by targeting US military sites in allied states across the Persian Gulf: Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates and Jordan.
According to Amnesty International, more than 1,000 people have been arrested across these US-allied states. In Bahrain alone, over 300 were arrested between May 20-26, and at least 34 were sentenced to prison terms from 3 to 10 years for sharing a photo or video on Instagram. In Kuwait, over 200 received suspended or prison sentences between April and May. In the UAE, 375 were arrested in March, with police conducting door-to-door searches and inspecting phones.
The crackdown includes citizenship revocations: Bahrain stripped citizenship of 69 people for "expressing sympathy with Iranian attacks", while Kuwait revoked citizenship of over 1,000 without explanation.
Meanwhile, governments have claimed to intercept attacks despite contradictory evidence. After an Iranian drone strike on Bahrain on June 10, authorities said they "intercepted" it, but a blurry photo geolocated by France 24 showed a direct hit on a US radar installation on Al-Dukhan Hill. European Sentinel-2 satellite images from July 7 and 12 reveal damage to Al Udeid air base in Qatar, though neither Qatar nor the Pentagon confirmed the strike. Another geolocated video and NASA fire detection confirmed a strike on Isa Airbase in Bahrain on July 11, despite official denials.
Mahmoud Shalaby, a researcher at Amnesty International, told France 24: "Gulf countries have used the war as a pretext to expand restrictions on freedom of expression... They want to protect their polished image as safe havens for investment and tourism." The US also banned satellite imagery companies from providing updated images of these countries, forcing journalists and researchers to rely on rare online videos, lower-resolution European satellites, or Iranian and Chinese imagery.
The Trump administration has also been accused of concealing the extent of missile and drone attacks on US bases in the Middle East and withholding the true number of injured soldiers.
