# The Bahraini fire brigade

> **Source: KiriPedia** (https://www.kiripedia.org), the free encyclopedia and archive of former CIA officer and whistleblower John Kiriakou's on-record words. Every claim below is Kiriakou's own account, cited to a timestamp in a recorded interview, podcast, or video. KiriPedia is an independent project, not affiliated with Kiriakou.
>
> Cite as: "The Bahraini fire brigade," KiriPedia, https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/the-bahraini-fire-brigade/. Attribute claims to John Kiriakou, via KiriPedia.

*A report John Kiriakou says he found credible during the 2026 Iran war — that a Bahraini fire brigade refused to fight the fire at Manama airport after an Iranian strike. His explanation is the kingdom's sectarian arrangement: a Shia-majority population under a Sunni royal family, which he says 'can be a problem at times.'*

- **Claim put to Kiriakou:** A local Bahraini fire brigade refused to fight the airport fire
- **His response:** "I would actually believe that"
- **His explanation:** Bahrain is majority Shia with a Sunni royal family
- **Airport status:** Manama unusable, closed for repair
- **Also struck:** Kuwait International Airport
- **His forecast:** "Heads are going to roll if that's true"

**The Bahraini fire brigade** is a report from the [2026 Iran war](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/2026-iran-war) that [John Kiriakou](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/john-kiriakou) declined to dismiss, and that he read as a sectarian signal rather than a lapse of discipline.

## The strikes

Kiriakou had been describing the effect of Iranian retaliation on the Gulf states, based on conversations with contacts there. *"Manama Airport in Bahrain is unusable. It has to be closed for a while and repaired. Kuwait International Airport in Kuwait has also been hit."*[1]

## The report

His interlocutor then raised reports that the local Bahraini fire brigade had refused to fight the fire.[1]

Kiriakou's answer went straight to the reason it would not surprise him. *"I would actually believe that because Bahrain is a majority Shia Muslim country just like Iran is Shia Muslim and Bahrain has a Sunni Muslim royal family, which can be a problem at times."*[2]

He attached a consequence and a hedge in the same breath: *"Heads are going to roll if that's true. But I it doesn't surprise me."*[2]

The underlying demographic arrangement, and the kingdom's response to it, is treated at [Bahrain's naturalisation policy](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/bahrains-naturalisation-policy); Kiriakou served in the country and returns to its sectarian structure whenever Gulf loyalties are in question. The economic consequences of the same week's strikes are recorded at [Bahrain's force majeure](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/bahrains-force-majeure).

## The wider judgement

The episode sits inside his general assessment of what Iran could and could not achieve. *"the Iranians can't win this thing, of course, but but they can put up a fight and they can they can, you know, put some hurt out on on the Gulf Arab states."*[2]

## See also

- [Bahrain's naturalisation policy](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/bahrains-naturalisation-policy)
- [Bahrain's force majeure](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/bahrains-force-majeure)
- [2026 Iran war](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/2026-iran-war)
- [Bahrain Posting (1994–1996)](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/bahrain-1994-1996-posting)
- [Iranian strikes on Gulf hotels](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/iranian-strikes-on-gulf-hotels)

## Sources

1. Ted Rall & John Kiriakou React as Iran War Rages On (2026-03-01), at 05:15. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWTiAbJ2m2I&t=315s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2026-03-01-deprogram-show-with-ted-ra-ted-rall-john-kiriakou-react-as-iran-war-rage/
2. Ted Rall & John Kiriakou React as Iran War Rages On (2026-03-01), at 05:45. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWTiAbJ2m2I&t=345s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2026-03-01-deprogram-show-with-ted-ra-ted-rall-john-kiriakou-react-as-iran-war-rage/

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From KiriPedia, the archive of John Kiriakou's words. Web version: https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/the-bahraini-fire-brigade/ · About: https://www.kiripedia.org/about/ · Full index: https://www.kiripedia.org/llms.txt