Iran's Revolutionary Guards say they struck a US radar in Bahrain; claim unconfirmed

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Friday, 13 November 2026, that its forces had struck a US military early-warning radar in Bahrain, describing the action as retaliation for an attack on southern Iran the previous night. The claim, carried by Iranian state and IRGC-affiliated media, had not been independently verified.

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) said it could not independently verify the claim. RFE/RL and Al Jazeera both reported that there was no immediate comment from Washington or from the government of Bahrain. No casualties were reported in the coverage reviewed for this story.

What the IRGC said

According to RFE/RL, the IRGC statement said: "IRGC Aerospace Force fighters targeted and destroyed the US aggressors' early-warning radar on the island of Bahrain."

Euronews, citing the Fars news agency, reported that the IRGC called the strike a "serious warning" to Washington "to put an end to its aerial provocations and oil smuggling in the Strait of Hormuz", and said its forces were ready to respond "without geographical limits" if such acts recurred. Al Jazeera reported a similar statement carried by the semi-official Tasnim news agency.

The strike on Sirik

The IRGC presented its action as a response to an overnight air strike on a telecommunications tower in Sirik, a port town in Hormozgan province near the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's official news agency IRNA reported that Sirik had been hit by "enemy" fire, according to RFE/RL and Al Jazeera. RFE/RL reported that IRNA did not name the attacker or give details of damage or casualties, and that the IRGC statement did not directly blame the United States.

Bahrain and the US presence

Bahrain hosts the headquarters of the US Navy's Fifth Fleet at Naval Support Activity Bahrain in Manama, as Al Jazeera and Euronews noted. Al Jazeera reported that Reuters described the claim as the first Iranian claim of an attack on US military assets in a Gulf country since early September.

Al Jazeera reported that US Central Command (CENTCOM) said it "regularly" moves personnel and assets to optimise mission readiness. Euronews reported that CENTCOM said on Wednesday that US forces were keeping the Strait of Hormuz open and enforcing a naval blockade against Iran.

Diplomatic context

The war began on 28 February with US and Israeli strikes on Iran, according to Al Jazeera and RFE/RL. Diplomatic efforts mediated by Qatar and Pakistan are continuing, Euronews reported.

On 12 November, President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social: "We don't need a deal with Iran. Those days have long since passed," according to RFE/RL. Euronews reported that Mr Trump also said Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain had asked him to postpone broader attacks on Iran.

Iran has said formal talks can resume only if its conditions are met, including the lifting of sanctions, an end to the naval blockade of its ports and the release of frozen assets, according to Euronews and RFE/RL.

Separately, RFE/RL reported that Iran's army said on 12 November that two oil tankers had caught fire after hitting naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz. That report has not been independently confirmed.