MANAMA, Bahrain — Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said Friday, Nov. 13, that it destroyed a U.S. early-warning radar in Bahrain. U.S. Central Command denied it, saying Iran launched two attack drones at Bahrain and American forces shot both down.
Related: Trump Pulls Vance Off Iran Talks, Says No Deal Needed.
What Iran claims
The IRGC statement, carried by Iranian state media, said its aerospace force destroyed the radar in response to an air attack on a telecommunications tower in Sirik, on the Strait of Hormuz coast. Unverified claim, Fars (IRGC-affiliated). The Guardian reported that the IRGC called the strike “a serious warning to the aggressor enemy.”
Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported earlier that Sirik had been hit by an “enemy” strike, without naming the attacker or giving details of damage or casualties, RFE/RL reported. The IRGC statement also stopped short of directly blaming the United States, RFE/RL said, while the Guardian described the Sirik strike as a U.S. airstrike. Washington has not confirmed carrying one out.
What the U.S. says
CENTCOM said the IRGC launched two one-way attack drones toward Bahrain. “There were no injuries or damage,” the command said, in a statement quoted by RFE/RL. The statement did not mention Sirik.[2]
State media outlets published an image said to show the damaged radar station, CBS News reported. That image has not been independently verified.
Why it matters
If confirmed, it would be Iran’s first direct attack on a U.S. military installation in months.[1] Bahrain hosts the headquarters of the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet.[3] Iran struck Bahrain and other Gulf states almost daily earlier in the war, but far fewer attacks have been reported since major hostilities ended in the summer.[4]
Sirik hosts part of Iran’s radar and communications network watching the strait and has been hit repeatedly since the war began with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Feb. 28.[2]
The wider picture
The exchange came a day after President Donald Trump wrote that the U.S. no longer needs an agreement with Tehran and moved Vice President JD Vance off the Iran file.[2] CENTCOM said Wednesday that U.S. forces are keeping the strait open to commercial shipping while enforcing a naval blockade of Iran.[3]
Iran’s speaker said this week that Hormuz will never return to its pre-war status. Our Iran War Tracker has the running timeline, and more is on the Warfare page.
For the rest of the day’s developments, read our Iran news update for Nov. 13.
Sources
- The Guardian: Iran says it targeted US military radar in Bahrain in retaliatory strike
- RFE/RL: CENTCOM Denies Iranian Claim It Struck A US Radar In Bahrain
- Euronews: US denies IRGC destroyed American radar in Bahrain after attack on southern Iran
- CBS News: U.N. watchdog agency pushes for access to key Iran nuclear site
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