Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps launched drone attacks on a US military air base in Bahrain on Sunday, marking the second such attack in three days. The IRGC Aerospace Force claimed that six drones targeted the US air defense radar system at the Al-Riffa helicopter base in retaliation for hostile US actions. This escalation ends a long lull in strikes during the Middle East war, with this being the first direct strike on the Gulf state in weeks.
Blasts rocked the capital, Manama, prompting Bahrain to issue two threat alerts and urge citizens and residents to remain calm and seek safe locations. While Tehran claimed the facility was struck, the Bahrain Defence Force stated that its air defense systems intercepted several Iranian aerial attacks, preventing them from reaching their intended targets. Bahrain has rejected the use of its territory as an arena for settling scores and holds Iran fully responsible for the attacks.
These strikes cast further doubt on peace talks between Washington and Tehran as diplomatic efforts to end the nearly nine-month US-Israeli war on Iran remain at a stalemate. The escalation comes as the US maintains a naval blockade and Iran maintains a stranglehold over the Strait of Hormuz, which Tehran has declared closed. Iran has asserted that its air attacks on countries cooperating with the US are justified under international law.