Bahrain sends most government workers home to 'keep streets clear' as Iran conflict intensifies

Kuwait also announced an emergency plan

Manama, from where Bahrain’s government is run and guidance for the public was released. Getty Images

Bahrain, home to the US Central Command’s regional base, issued public safety guidance on Sunday in the wake of American strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.

The Gulf nation is strategically close to Iran. It hosts US personnel and military officials and established ties with Israel several years ago.

"In light of recent developments in the regional security situation, we urge citizens and residents to use main roads only when necessary, to maintain public safety and to allow the relevant authorities to use the roads efficiently," an Interior Ministry statement read.

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Manama also said 70 per cent of government employees, including those in ministries and government agencies, will work from home, starting immediately, following the US attacks.

Emergency staff are excluded from the order, Bahrain's Civil Service Bureau said.

"A remote working system will be activated across ministries and government agencies, with a 70 per cent work-from-home capacity," the official Bahrain News Agency said after the US bombed Iran.

Nearly 9,000 defence personnel are stationed in Bahrain, including military and civilian staff. The US Navy's Fifth Fleet provides security to ships and aircraft in the region.

Kuwait emergency plan

In a similar development, the Kuwaiti Finance Ministry said on Sunday it has activated its emergency plan to ensure the continuity of financial and service operations with high efficiency.

The measures included preparing shelters in the building of the ministries' complex, which will accommodate about 900 people, and providing warehouses to be used when necessary.

Kuwait hosts a major American military base, Camp Arifjan, which is south-east of the capital, Kuwait city. It was established in 1999 and provides primary logistics for US military operations across the region.

Iran has previously threatened to target US military bases in the region if Washington intervened on Israel’s side.

Bahrain and other Gulf states also lie near Iran’s Bushehr nuclear reactor, which has reportedly been the target of Israeli strikes. Their proximity, just across the narrow waters of the Gulf, has raised regional security concerns, especially amid fears of radioactive fallout or wider escalation.

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  Russian President Vladimir Putin greets Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi at the Kremlin in Moscow. AP

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  Mr Putin and Mr Araghchi hold talks. Reuters

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  A replica of the Mona Lisa in a Haifa shop damaged in Iranian strikes. AFP

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  Iranian army commander-in-chief Amir Hatami in the country's command room. Iranian army / Reuters

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  People place flowers on an Iranian Red Crescent Society vehicle that was bombed by Israel on June 19. EPA

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  People shelter in an underground car park in Tel Aviv. Reuters

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  A US B-2 stealth bomber lands in Missouri on Sunday after attacking key Iranian nuclear sites. Reuters

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  Damage at the Isfahan nuclear technology centre after the US strikes. EPA / Maxar Technologies

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  UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres at a UN Security Council meeting in New York yesterday. Getty Images

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  The UN meeting was convened the day after the US bombed Iran. AFP

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  Danny Danon, ambassador of Israel to the UN, speaks during the meeting. Getty Images

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  Amir-Saeid Iravani, Iran's ambassador to the UN, has his say. Getty Images

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  Images of the American and Israeli flags are projected on to the walls of Jerusalem's Old City on Sunday. AP

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  Protesters hold placards to condemn the US and Israel's attacks on Iran in Karachi yesterday. AFP