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Iran's IRGC says it launched six drones at a US radar at Bahrain's Riffa Air Base. Bahrain's Defence Force says its air defence systems thwarted several Iranian aerial attacks.
By Hermes Vector
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) says it launched six drones at a US air defence radar system at Bahrain's Riffa Air Base, according to a statement carried by the IRGC-affiliated Fars News Agency. It was the second time in three days that the IRGC claimed to have targeted a US radar system in Bahrain.
Bahrain's Interior Ministry issued two alerts within about three hours, the first about 4:30am (01:30 GMT). The ministry warned of a "potential threat" and urged residents to "remain calm" and "proceed to the nearest safe location". It gave no further details about the threat.
The Bahrain Defence Force said its air defence systems thwarted several Iranian "aerial attacks" targeting the kingdom.
The US military said it intercepted two Iranian drones on Friday but has yet to comment on Sunday's claim.
In its statement, the IRGC said the Strait of Hormuz remained closed and claimed that US efforts to escort ships through the waterway had failed. It warned that any US attack would draw a more severe response.
The IRGC said on Friday that it destroyed a US early-warning radar system in Bahrain in retaliation for what it described as an air attack on a telecommunications tower in southern Iran. The US military's Central Command (CENTCOM) denied the claim, saying it had shot down two IRGC drones and there were no injuries or damage.
In a statement carried by Iran's semiofficial Tasnim News Agency, the IRGC called the operation a "serious warning" over what it described as aerial provocations and oil smuggling in the Strait of Hormuz.
The IRGC's navy said two oil tankers struck sea mines on Saturday while trying to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. In a statement carried by Iran's state news agency IRNA, it said the vessels had switched off their navigation and tracking systems and were using what it called an "unauthorised" route.
The IRGC said two other tankers turned back towards the Gulf after receiving warnings from its maritime traffic control centre.
Diplomatic efforts to stop attacks and reopen the Strait of Hormuz remain stalled. Iran's parliamentary speaker and chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, told Al Jazeera that Tehran wanted to move beyond a state of "no war, no peace". Ghalibaf said Iran has conveyed seven conditions for a deal through a Qatari mediator and was awaiting an official US response. The conditions he outlined included lifting the US naval blockade and sanctions, releasing frozen Iranian funds, ending hostilities on all fronts and formally declaring the war over.
US President Donald Trump's administration has tightened sanctions and maintained the blockade on Iranian ports.
Bahrain is home to the US Navy's Fifth Fleet and has been repeatedly attacked by Tehran during the war, which began on February 28. A Pentagon inspector general's report released in September found that Iranian attacks had damaged or destroyed buildings at US installations in eight countries, including Bahrain, in the first four months of the war. Tehran has told the United Nations Security Council it would respond immediately to renewed US or Israeli attacks and has accused Bahrain and other Gulf states of supporting US military operations.
Sources
This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.
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