Iran claimed it destroyed a U.S. early-warning radar, the first attack of its kind in months, but the United States denied the claim.
The U.S. and Iran have launched sporadic strikes against lower-level targets for the past several months after intensive strikes halted. Iran’s attacks usually target shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, while the U.S. usually launches tit-for-tat retaliatory strikes against targets across Iran’s coast. After the U.S. hit a communications tower overlooking the Strait of Hormuz in the city of Sirik, Iran upped the ante by retaliating with a drone attack targeting an early-warning radar in Bahrain, an attack the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed was successful.
In a statement carried by Fars news agency, the Guard said it “targeted and destroyed the American aggressors’ early-warning radar on the island of Bahrain.”
“This is a serious warning to the aggressor enemy to end its aerial mischief and oil smuggling in the strait of Hormuz,” it added. “In the event of repeated violations and aggression, the IRGC aerospace force is on full alert to confront the enemy without constraint.”
But U.S. Central Command quickly denied the claim in a fact-checking post on X.
“The IRGC launched two one-way attack drones toward Bahrain and both were shot down by U.S. forces,” according to Central Command. “There were no injuries or damage.”
The Guard has been known to inflate its claims of damage and effectiveness. It has previously claimed to have destroyed three different radars and early-warning systems in Bahrain, claims which were never independently verified.
A purported satellite image showing a destroyed radar in Bahrain went viral on social media, but it was soon debunked as AI-generated. AMK Mapping, a New Zealand-based open-source intelligence analyst whose work has been used by Western militaries and embassies, said sources in Bahrain told him they heard “strange sounds originating from the sea at around 4am local time, that seemed similar to the sounds heard when Iranian drones were being intercepted off the coast during the active phase of the war.”
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The war itself remains frozen in a fragile stalemate, with Iran’s economy continuing to take a heavy beating through sanctions and the continued blockade. Speaking to Stephen Smith on his Straight Shooter podcast, Trump said he was choosing to continue the current pressure campaign upon the request of the Gulf States.
“I could end it immediately, but at the request of the nations that I’m looking to protect, we are doing it a little bit longer way, a little bit more civilly,” he said. “Saudi Arabia has asked me to please just let it be the way it is now for a while because they’re disintegrating. Qatar … Kuwait, UAE, Bahrain, all of them would much prefer the waiting period.”