Iran claims second drone attack on US radar in Bahrain in three days

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Sunday, 15 November, that it launched six drones at a US air defence radar at the Riffa helicopter base in Bahrain, the second time in three days it has claimed to target US military equipment in the Gulf kingdom. Bahrain's military said its air defences intercepted several Iranian aerial attacks before they reached their targets.

The US military had not commented on Sunday's claim at the time of reporting, according to Al Jazeera. The IRGC statement gave no evidence of damage, and Anadolu Agency reported that no damage details had been provided.

What each side says

"The US air defence radar system at the Al-Riffa helicopter base in Bahrain was targeted by six drones belonging to the IRGC Aerospace Force," the Guards said in a statement posted by Iran's state broadcaster, according to France 24. The statement added: "The Strait of Hormuz is closed, and any aggression by the American enemy will be met with an even harsher and more forceful response."

According to Reuters, as published by CNBC, the IRGC said the attack was retaliation for "hostile US actions". Bloomberg, as published by The Japan Times, reported that the IRGC described it as a response to "blatant aggression of the U.S. military" and claimed a "successful impact".

The Bahrain Defence Force said it "intercepted and destroyed" Iranian munitions and accused Tehran of continuing "its systematic hostile approach through its criminal attacks", ABC News reported. Bahrain's foreign ministry said the kingdom "rejects turning its territory into an arena for settling scores and holds Iran fully responsible for these attacks and their consequences", according to France 24.

First alerts since September

Bahrain's Interior Ministry issued two alerts of a "potential threat" within about three hours, the first at about 4:30am local time (01:30 GMT, 08:30 WIB), Al Jazeera reported. The ministry urged residents to "remain calm, proceed to the nearest safe location, and follow news through official channels". CNA reported these were Bahrain's first such warnings since September.

An AFP journalist heard explosions around 4am local time, and residents reported a second series of blasts around 6:30am, France 24 reported.

Friday's claim and the US denial

On Friday, 13 November, the IRGC said it had destroyed a US early warning radar in Bahrain in retaliation for what it described as an air attack on a telecommunications tower in southern Iran, Al Jazeera reported. US Central Command (CENTCOM) denied that claim, saying it shot down two IRGC drones and that there were no injuries or damage.

Reuters reported that Friday marked the first time since early September that Iran had claimed an attack on US military assets in a Gulf country, according to Al Jazeera.

Bahrain hosts the US Navy's Fifth Fleet. The Washington Post reported that the Fifth Fleet base in Manama suffered extensive damage during the first phase of the war and that few Americans are still operating there, and noted that the IRGC named Riffa Air Base as Sunday's target.

A test for Washington's restraint signals

The attacks come days after Reuters reported that President Donald Trump had told advisers he might hold off on new strikes on Iran if the United States faced no new provocations from Tehran or the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, while keeping a US naval blockade in place.

On Sunday, the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis said it had intercepted two Houthi ballistic missiles launched towards Riyadh and three drones in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province, according to Reuters as published by CNBC.

Diplomacy stalled, Hormuz tense

Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, a senior negotiator in talks with Washington, said on Sunday that the path to ending the conflict is open if the United States accepts Iran's "logical conditions", according to Bloomberg, citing the semi-official Fars news agency. He said Tehran would not remain in a state of "neither war nor peace" and warned that Iran's armed forces would "determine the geography of battle" if Washington resumes strikes.

Ghalibaf told Al Jazeera last week that Iran had sent seven conditions for a deal through a Qatari mediator, including lifting the US naval blockade and sanctions, releasing frozen funds and formally declaring the war over.

At sea, the IRGC navy said two oil tankers struck mines on Saturday while trying to pass through the Strait of Hormuz on what it called an "unauthorised" route, Al Jazeera reported, citing Iran's state news agency IRNA. NewsWLD has not been able to independently verify those claims.

The war began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran on 28 February. Anadolu Agency reported that the sides reached a ceasefire in April and signed a memorandum of understanding in June, but fighting later resumed as negotiations stalled.