Iran Claims Radar Strike in Bahrain Amid Escalating Tensions with US

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has asserted that it targeted a United States early warning radar system located in Bahrain. This action is stated to be a reprisal for what Iran described as an air attack on a telecommunications tower in southern Iran. The claim emerged hours after Iran's state news agency IRNA, citing official sources, reported that the port city of Sirik in Hormozgan province had been struck by “enemy fire” on Thursday.

In a statement disseminated via the semi-official Tasnim news agency, the IRGC characterized the strike as a “serious warning” to the “aggressor enemy,” urging them to cease what Iran termed a series of aerial provocations and oil smuggling activities in the Strait of Hormuz. The statement further warned, “Should these violations and acts of aggression recur, the IRGC Aerospace Force stands in full readiness to engage without limits.” The IRGC-affiliated Fars news agency reported that the Guard’s aerospace forces had “targeted and destroyed” the radar installation.

There has been no immediate comment from Washington or Manama. Bahrain serves as the headquarters for the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet.

According to Reuters, this marks the first instance since early September that Iran has claimed an attack on American military assets within a Gulf country. This development occurs as Israeli media, including the public broadcaster KAN, reports that Israel’s security cabinet has reportedly instructed the military to enhance preparations for a potential strike on Iran. Iran’s security chief, Mohsen Rezaei, has issued a warning that if the US initiates another conflict, any military base involved, from West Asia to Europe, would be considered a legitimate target for Iranian strikes.

US President Donald Trump has indicated his readiness to re-engage in hostilities if the diplomatic efforts led by Qatar do not yield a resolution. Conversely, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has suggested that economic pressure on Iran is proving effective, rendering a resumption of large-scale military operations unnecessary.

In an exclusive interview with Al Jazeera on Wednesday, Iran’s parliament speaker and lead negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, stated that the Strait of Hormuz would not revert to its pre-war state, asserting that “the ball is now in the American court.” Meanwhile, US Central Command has confirmed that its forces continue to rigorously enforce the naval blockade on Iranian ports. The conflict in question began on February 28 with strikes by US and Israeli forces on Iran.