Kuwait city: Gulf states have responded to Iranian strikes with a combination of arrests, denials, and censorship, as documented in a video shared on Telegram showing an Iranian strike on Kuwait. The footage, recorded from Umm Qasr on the Iraqi border, highlights the ongoing conflict that began on February 28, where Iran has targeted US military sites in allied states across the Persian Gulf region, including Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Jordan. According to France24.com, over 1,000 people have been arrested in these US-allied states as authorities enforce repressive measures against documenting Tehran's attacks. Amnesty International reports that the conflict has been used as a pretext by Gulf countries to further restrict freedom of expression. Mahmoud Shalaby, a regional researcher at Amnesty International, notes that blanket warnings have been issued to prevent citizens and residents from filming or sharing images of the attacks, leading to a widespread crackdown. Between March and May, more than 300 people were arrested in Bahrain, with at least 34 receiving prison terms of up to 10 years for sharing images on social media. In Kuwait, over 200 individuals faced suspended sentences or imprisonment, and the UAE arrested 375 people in March, with reports of door-to-door searches and phone inspections. Additionally, Kuwait and Bahrain have been stripping citizenship from individuals allegedly sympathetic to Iranian attacks. Bahrain revoked the citizenship of 69 people, while Kuwait stripped over 1,000 individuals of their citizenship. Such actions are seen as exceeding international legal standards, which require measures during armed conflict to comply with principles of legality, necessity, and proportionality. Shalaby highlights that the restrictions are hindering media and researchers' ability to document the attacks. Gulf states, alongside the US, have prohibited updated satellite imagery, forcing reliance on lower-resolution services and online videos. Despite off icial claims of intercepting attacks, available imagery suggests otherwise, with evidence of strikes on US military bases in Bahrain and Qatar. The Gulf states' efforts to conceal the impact of the attacks are partly driven by a desire to maintain their image as safe havens. Shalaby suggests that these actions counter criticism of US military bases' presence in the region, which some argue provokes such attacks. The Trump administration has also been implicated in concealing the extent of missile and drone attacks on US bases in the Middle East.
