Iran Launches Drone Attacks on Bahrain, Threatening Regional Peace Efforts

Bahrain was targeted by Iranian drones on Sunday, triggering emergency alerts for the first time in months and raising fears of a return to full-scale war. The Bahraini military reported intercepting several Iranian aerial attacks early Sunday morning, with alerts issued before 5am urging citizens to seek safe locations.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed responsibility, stating its Aerospace Force fired six drones at a US air defence radar at the Riffa airbase, claiming a precise and successful impact. However, the Bahraini military maintained that the drones were destroyed before they could reach their targets.

Regional neighbors condemned the strikes. Jasem Al Budaiwi, head of the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC), described the attack as a blatant challenge to regional peace efforts and a direct threat to the region. Qatar, acting as a mediator between the US and Iran, called the escalation dangerous and warned it could undermine diplomatic efforts to restore stability in the Middle East.

This marks the second time in a week that Iran has claimed an attack on Bahrain. On Friday, the IRGC claimed to have destroyed a US early warning radar, though US Central Command stated that two drones were intercepted.

These developments occur as diplomatic efforts to end the conflict, which began with US and Israeli strikes in February, have yet to produce a breakthrough. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is scheduled to visit Muscat on Tuesday for talks with his Omani counterpart. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump recently unsettled markets by stating no deal with Iran was needed.

The ongoing standoff has heavily curtailed shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. The IRGC's naval forces claimed on Sunday that one oil tanker sank and another was damaged after hitting sea mines in the strait, although there was no independent verification of these claims.

Economic impacts were felt as Gulf bourses closed lower on Sunday, with Saudi Arabia's benchmark index dropping 0.7 per cent and Qatar's index retreating 1.8 per cent.

Following previous unprecedented attacks by Iran on US allies including the UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Kuwait, GCC defence ministers recently approved a new joint command centre in Kuwait to enhance military co-operation.

While an initial US-Iran agreement in June opened a 60-day window for talks, the deadline expired without a deal. Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf stated that the path to peace is open if the US accepts Iran's logical conditions, warning that Tehran will not remain in a state of neither war nor peace.

Simultaneously, developments in Yemen have added to regional concerns. Two drones launched by the Houthi militia were destroyed by Saudi air defences over the Makkah region. Additionally, forces allied with Yemen's internationally recognised government have withdrawn from an area overlooking the Bab Al Mandeb strait to prioritize securing the capital, Aden, and breaking the Houthi siege on Taiz city.