U.S. Military Downs 2 Iranian Attack Drones As Iran Claims A Strike On U.S. Radar In Bahrain

Detailed summary

Neither Iran’s claim of striking the radar nor its account of the tanker incident could be independently verified.

The U.S. military said it intercepted two Iranian attack drones headed toward Bahrain, as the Revolutionary Guard claimed it struck a U.S. early warning radar system in the kingdom. The Guard also said a tanker struck a naval mine while attempting to sail through the Strait of Hormuz, causing an explosion.

Neither Iran’s claim of striking the radar nor its account of the tanker incident could be independently verified.

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The U.S. military said Friday it shot down two Iranian attack drones headed toward Bahrain, denying Iran’s claim that it had struck a U.S. radar system in the kingdom. CENTCOM, the U.S. command center covering the region, said there were no injuries or damage.

Iran’s official IRNA news agency quoted a statement by the Revolutionary Guard as saying the attack on the radar system followed a U.S. strike on a telecommunications pole in the southern Iranian port of Sirik.

Bahrain has been one of the strongest critics of Iran and is home to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet.

The statement said the attack on the radar was a serious warning to the U.S. to cease its strikes. It was Iran’s first report of targeting a facility in Bahrain since September.

During an air war that began in February, Iran targeted U.S. bases in neighboring Arab nations including Bahrain in retaliation for U.S. strikes. Since then, Iran routinely targets oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, the critical waterway for international oil shipments.

Bahrain’s Ministry of Information did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

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