MANAMA
\nBahrain has detained four citizens suspected of spying for Iran\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), as Tehran\u2019s retaliatory strikes on Gulf states show no signs of letting up. Bahrain\u2019s General Directorate of Criminal Investigation and Forensic Science identified the four detainees as Murtadha Hussain Awal, 25; Ahmed Isa Al Haiki, 34; Sarah Abdulnabi Marhoon, 36; and Elias Salman Mirza, 22.
\nA fifth suspect, Ali Mohammed Hassan Al Shaikh, 25, remains at large abroad. Investigators said Murtadha Hussain and his cohorts, acting on IRGC instructions, used high-resolution equipment to photograph and record coordinates of vital locations in Bahrain, transmitting the data to the IRGC via encrypted software.
\nThe arrests come as Iran escalates attacks across the Gulf. Bahrain\u2019s Interior Ministry issued an advisory urging residents in Hidd, Arad, Qalali and Samaheej to stay indoors and seal windows against smoke from fires sparked by Iranian strikes. Fuel tanks at a facility in Muharraq Governorate, northeast of Manama, were among the targets. Oman\u2019s Port of Salalah also battled blazes at fuel storage tanks following separate Iranian drone strikes.
\nElsewhere in the region, two Iranian drones struck near Dubai International Airport, wounding four people, though flights continued uninterrupted. A fire broke out at a luxury apartment tower in Dubai Creek Harbour after another drone hit \u2014 extinguished by Thursday morning. Iran also targeted commercial ships and struck what officials described as the world\u2019s busiest international airport on Wednesday, as US and Israeli strikes continued to pound Tehran.
\nThe conflict began on February 28, when US and Israeli forces launched coordinated strikes on Iran. Tehran has since retaliated by targeting Gulf states, US and Israeli assets, and critical energy infrastructure. Iran has declared a blockade on energy shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital chokepoint for global oil and gas flows, sending commodity prices surging and rattling international markets.
\nThe Pentagon told Congress this week that the first week of war cost the United States $11.3 billion \u2014 including $5 billion in munitions in the conflict\u2019s opening weekend alone. The UN Security Council on Wednesday voted to approve a resolution demanding a halt to Iran\u2019s attacks on its Gulf neighbors. Bahrain\u2019s UN Ambassador Jamal Alrowaiei welcomed the move.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
MANAMA Bahrain has detained four citizens suspected of spying for Iran\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), as Tehran\u2019s retaliatory strikes on Gulf states show no signs of letting up. Bahrain\u2019s General Directorate of Criminal Investigation and Forensic Science identified the four detainees as Murtadha Hussain Awal, 25; Ahmed Isa Al Haiki, 34; Sarah Abdulnabi Marhoon, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":536285,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-536255","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n