More than 100 Shiites have been arrested across several Gulf countries in the aftermath of the recent war involving Iran, with authorities in the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Bahrain accusing many of those detained of loyalty to Tehran and involvement in activities threatening national security, according to a report by The New York Times.

The arrests come after Iran launched attacks against Gulf states hosting U.S. military bases during the conflict that erupted on February 28 between Iran and a U.S.-Israeli coalition. Gulf governments have since intensified security measures and accused a number of Shiite citizens of acting in support of Iran or groups aligned with it, including Lebanon’s Hezbollah.

According to the report, Gulf authorities have provided limited details about many of the cases, with trials often closed to the media and counterterrorism laws broadly applied in ways that rights groups say can also target political dissent.

Kuwait announced that it had dismantled at least three Hezbollah-linked cells, including one allegedly plotting to assassinate senior state officials. Authorities said six people had been arrested in connection with the alleged plot.

In the UAE, authorities accused 27 men of belonging to what officials described as a “secret Shiite terrorist organization” affiliated with Iran. Emirati authorities said the group had engaged in activities aimed at undermining national unity, destabilizing the country, recruiting Emirati youth, and inciting opposition to the UAE’s foreign policy.

The Emirati state news agency published photos of the detainees alongside their first and middle names, an unusual move in a country where defendants’ identities are typically partially concealed. A video released by authorities showed items allegedly confiscated from the suspects, including a drone, cash, religious banners associated with Shiite rituals, clerical turbans, and books.

In Bahrain, authorities revoked the citizenship of 69 people, including family members, accusing them of sympathizing with or glorifying Iranian actions and maintaining contacts with external parties. Human rights organizations said all of those stripped of citizenship were Shiite Bahrainis of Persian descent.

Bahrain later announced the arrest of 41 individuals accused of belonging to an organization linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps. The Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy, a London-based rights group, said 37 Shiite clerics were among those detained and described the accusations as a pretext for a broader crackdown against the Shiite community.

Rights advocates and regional analysts told The New York Times that the arrests reflect a broader resurgence of sectarian rhetoric in the Gulf, fueled by regional tensions with Iran and growing nationalist discourse following the war.

“It is understandable that at times of war nationalism increases, but this is a form of exclusionary nationalism targeting a significant minority that has long complained of discrimination,” Bahraini academic and activist Ala’a Shehabi told the newspaper.

Shehabi said the more intense Iran’s attacks against Gulf states became, the harsher the crackdowns on Shiite citizens accused of acting as a “fifth column.”

Sectarian tensions between Iran and Gulf Arab states have shaped regional politics for decades. Iran is a Shiite-majority country, while most Gulf monarchies are Sunni-led states ruling over Sunni-majority populations with Shiite minorities.

Since the 1979 Iranian Revolution, Tehran has frequently criticized Gulf monarchies as aligned with Western powers and, in some cases, has been accused by Gulf governments of encouraging dissent among Shiite communities in the region.

Although Gulf states had in recent years moved toward easing tensions with Iran as part of broader regional diplomacy, analysts say the latest war disrupted those efforts. Iranian strikes reportedly hit energy facilities, hotels, and residential buildings across the Gulf during the conflict, killing at least 19 civilians.

The New York Times report said Gulf governments have since increasingly framed domestic security threats through the lens of loyalty to Iran.

Bahrain defended its actions in a statement to the newspaper, saying authorities were acting against individuals who posed security threats and insisting that all citizens are treated equally regardless of religion or background.

The Bahraini government said those detained were suspected of involvement in violence, incitement, or sharing sensitive information with hostile actors.

Toby Matthiesen, a senior lecturer in global Islam at the University of Bristol, told the newspaper that while Gulf states experienced real militant attacks by Shiite groups during the 1980s and 1990s, no domestic terror attacks have been reported since the latest war began.

Without greater transparency surrounding the accusations, Matthiesen said, the rhetoric surrounding the arrests appeared to signal a return to state-backed sectarianism combined with hyper-nationalist messaging aimed at rallying public support.

The atmosphere has been particularly tense in the UAE, according to Emirati sociologist Mira Al Hussein, who said the public release of detainees’ images before trial suggested authorities had already portrayed them as guilty.

“The state of paranoia has intensified,” Al Hussein said, adding that many Shiites in the UAE now fear increasing social hostility and marginalization.

The report also cited Shiite religious leaders in Pakistan as saying that thousands of Shiite Pakistanis may have been deported from the UAE since mid-April amid deteriorating relations between Islamabad and Abu Dhabi.

In a sermon broadcast across the UAE on April 24, preacher Abdullah Ibrahim Abdul-Jabbar urged citizens to report anyone suspected of betrayal, saying loyalty to the homeland could not be divided between competing allegiances.

“The homeland is more precious than everything,” he said, according to the report.