Iran seeks to 'sow confusion among Gulf states' by targeting Bahrain and Kuwait

This screen grab of video footage posted on social media on 18 July shows a plume of black smoke billowing over the town of Mangaf, south of Kuwait City. © AFP

As Iranian drones and missiles target Bahrain and Kuwait, RFI spoke with Mahdi Ghuloom of the Dubai-based ORF Middle East think tank, who believes long-standing tensions, the small size of the two countries and divisions over how the Gulf should respond are playing their part in this development.

The United Arab Emirates suffered the largest number of Iranian attacks during the open conflict between Iran and the United States in March and April. Tehran has since shifted its attention towards Bahrain and Kuwait.