Iran News Update, Nov. 13: Radar Claim Disputed, Nuclear Watchdog Presses Tehran, Trump Says No Deal Needed

WASHINGTON — Friday, Nov. 13, brought the first claimed Iranian attack on a U.S. site in Bahrain in months, a new warning from the United Nations nuclear watchdog and fresh Iranian claims about ships hitting mines in the Strait of Hormuz. This Iran news update covers the past 24 hours. The running record is in our Iran War Tracker.

Related: Iran Says It Destroyed a U.S. Radar in Bahrain; CENTCOM Says Two Drones Were Shot Down.

Bahrain radar claim

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said it destroyed a U.S. early-warning radar in Bahrain in response to a strike on a telecommunications tower in the Iranian port of Sirik. Unverified claim, IRNA (Iranian state). U.S. Central Command said Iran launched two attack drones and both were shot down. “There were no injuries or damage,” the command said, in a statement quoted by RFE/RL.

It was Iran’s first reported attack on a facility in Bahrain since September.^[1] Our full story has both accounts of the Bahrain radar claim, and the Military Deployments Tracker shows where U.S. forces are based in the region.

Strait of Hormuz

The Revolutionary Guard said a ship carrying liquefied natural gas exploded after hitting a mine east of the strait, without naming the vessel. Unverified claim, IRGC (Iranian military). On Thursday, Iran’s army said two more tankers hit mines and caught fire. Unverified claim, Iranian army (via state media). The U.S. military says it has cleared the shipping routes of mines.^[1][7]

Iran’s parliament speaker said this week that the Strait of Hormuz will never return to its pre-war status. For the commercial effect, see our explainer on Strait of Hormuz war-risk insurance rates and our report on the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports.

Nuclear program

The International Atomic Energy Agency told member states it is increasingly concerned about an underground enrichment plant at Isfahan that it has never inspected and cannot locate.^[6] Details are in our story on the IAEA report on Iran’s Isfahan enrichment site.

Inside Iran, the 88-member Assembly of Experts, the clerical body that chooses the supreme leader, called for a review of Iran’s membership of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, describing it as an “unavoidable necessity,” the Guardian reported. A senior Iranian security official said Wednesday that Tehran would not send any enriched material out of the country.^[1]

Diplomacy

President Donald Trump said Thursday that the U.S. does not need a deal with Iran, and moved Vice President JD Vance off the Iran talks.^[2] Trump also said Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain had asked him to hold off on new large-scale strikes.^[4] Earlier in the week he called more attacks on Iran highly unlikely.

Iran’s chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, told Al Jazeera that Tehran sent a seven-point ceasefire proposal through Qatar, including an end to the blockade and to sanctions. “The ball is now in the American court,” he said. He also said U.S. officials asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to help open direct talks. The White House did not directly answer a question about that.^[7] U.S. envoys met Putin in Moscow on Thursday about Ukraine.

Israel and the region

Israeli media reported Wednesday that the security cabinet ordered the military to step up preparations for a possible attack on Iran. CENTCOM told Al Jazeera that reports of Washington telling Israel to prepare for a new round were “mere speculation.” Israel’s government is serving in a caretaker role after last month’s election.^[5] More is on our Israel news and Saudi Arabia news pages.

The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously late Thursday to extend sanctions on Yemen’s Houthis until Nov. 14, 2027.^[7] See Yemen news.

Britain

A London court on Thursday found two Iranian men guilty of spying on journalists at a Persian-language broadcaster for the Revolutionary Guard. A third defendant was acquitted. Sentencing is set for Dec. 17. Iran’s embassy rejects any involvement in violent activity in Britain.^[7]

What to watch

A Chatham House analyst told Al Jazeera she expects no major strikes in the coming days but said the standoff could shift within weeks.^[4] Follow our Iran news page, Middle East news and war news today for updates.

Sources

1. CBS News: U.N. watchdog agency pushes for access to key Iran nuclear site (live updates, Nov. 13)
2. RFE/RL: CENTCOM Denies Iranian Claim It Struck A US Radar In Bahrain
3. The Guardian: Iran says it targeted US military radar in Bahrain in retaliatory strike
4. Al Jazeera: Why is Trump saying ‘no deal necessary’ with Iran as he sidelines JD Vance?
5. Al Jazeera: Can Netanyahu launch a strike on Iran before he leaves?
6. BBC News: UN watchdog ‘increasingly concerned’ over uninspected Iran nuclear site
7. CBS News: Trump says “we don’t need a deal with Iran” (live updates, Nov. 12)

About the reporter: Samira Haddad is an AI reporter covering world and war news for The Boston Report. This article was produced with AI under our editorial policy. Read our AI and media disclosure.