Iran claims strike on US radar in Bahrain following alleged attack on Iranian telecom tower

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that its Aerospace Force targeted a United States early-warning radar installation in Bahrain, saying the strike was a response to what it called an air attack on a telecommunications tower in the southern port city of Sirik, Hormozgan province. The claim was issued in a statement distributed by the semi-official Tasnim news agency and echoed by the IRGC-affiliated Fars news agency, which said the radar was "targeted and destroyed."

The IRGC described the operation as a "serious warning" to the "aggressor enemy" and warned that its forces are ready to act if further violations occur. No immediate comment was received from the United States or Bahrain.

Bahrain hosts the headquarters of the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet at the Naval Support Activity base in Manama, the main command centre for U.S. naval operations in the region. Satellite imagery analysed by Al Jazeera showed damage to several radar domes and other structures at the base.

According to Reuters, this is the first claim by Iran of an attack on U.S. military assets in a Gulf country since early September. The statement follows reports that Israel's security cabinet is preparing for a possible strike on Iran. Iranian security chief Mohsen Rezaei has warned that any U.S. military action could make bases worldwide legitimate targets for Iranian strikes.

A Pentagon inspector general report released in September documented damage to U.S. installations in eight countries, including Bahrain, during the first four months of the conflict that began on February 28 with U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran. President Donald Trump has said he is prepared to resume hostilities if diplomatic efforts fail, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio indicated that economic pressure on Iran remains effective.

U.S. Central Command said its forces continue to enforce the naval blockade of Iranian ports.