Iran has launched another drone attack targeting a United States military base in Bahrain, its second attempt to strike the Gulf country within three days amid escalating tensions over the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
Key Highlights
- Iran’s IRGC says it sent six drones against a US air defence radar at Al-Riffa air base in Bahrain.
- Bahrain says its air defences intercepted and destroyed the drones.
- It is Iran’s second drone attack on Bahrain in three days.
- The IRGC says the Strait of Hormuz remains closed and threatens a stronger response.
- A June US–Iran deal to end the war collapsed within weeks; Trump says Washington is no longer interested in an agreement.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Sunday that it deployed six drones against a US air defence radar facility at Al-Riffa air base in Bahrain.
However, Bahrain’s military said its air defence systems intercepted and destroyed the incoming drones before they could achieve their objectives.
The attack prompted Bahrain’s Interior Ministry to urge residents to move to their nearest safe locations as security sirens sounded across the country.
In a statement, Bahrain’s Foreign Ministry condemned the strikes and held Iran responsible for their consequences.
The latest incident follows another Iranian drone attack on Bahrain on Friday, which marked the country’s first reported attack against Gulf states since September.
Battle over the Strait of Hormuz
The developments come amid an ongoing confrontation between Washington and Tehran over control of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical international shipping route through which approximately one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas supplies normally pass.
Shipping activities through the waterway have been severely disrupted since the outbreak of war in February.
Iran has insisted on controlling the strategic passage and has targeted vessels it describes as unauthorised, while the US military has been providing security for oil tankers transporting crude from Gulf Arab states.
In a statement broadcast by Iranian state media, the IRGC warned that the Strait of Hormuz remained closed and threatened a stronger response to any further US aggression.
Earlier, the IRGC claimed to have destroyed a US early-warning radar system in Bahrain during Friday’s attack.
However, the US military rejected the claim, saying two Iranian one-way attack drones had been launched towards Bahrain but were intercepted by American forces, with no casualties or damage recorded.
The confrontation has also extended to Iran’s Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz, where US forces reportedly carried out limited defensive strikes earlier in the week.
US officials told CBS News that the operation was in response to an IRGC attack on an American aircraft.
Iran’s state news agency, IRNA, subsequently reported explosions on the island, while the IRGC claimed its forces had shot down American drones in the surrounding area.
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Peace efforts stall
Efforts to end the conflict have also suffered setbacks. A preliminary agreement reached between the United States and Iran in June to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz collapsed within weeks after attacks on shipping resumed and Washington reinstated a naval blockade of Iranian ports.
Iranian negotiators have reportedly been discussing a proposal with mediators to reopen the waterway within two days, subject to seven conditions, including the lifting of the US naval blockade and the release of frozen Iranian assets.
However, US President Donald Trump recently indicated that Washington was no longer interested in pursuing an agreement to end the war.
He also directed Vice-President JD Vance, who had been involved in diplomatic efforts, to concentrate on domestic American political affairs.
The latest drone attack further underscores the continuing tensions between Iran and the United States, with the security of the Strait of Hormuz remaining a major concern for international shipping and global energy supplies.
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