IRGC says it destroyed US early-warning radar in Bahrain after southern Iran tower attack
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Friday that its aerospace force had destroyed a US early-warning radar in Bahrain, according to Iranian state media. The Guard described the strike as a response to Thursday’s attack on a telecommunications tower in Sirik County, in southern Iran, and called it a serious warning to Washington.
Citing the Fars news agency, the IRGC said the United States must end what it called aerial provocations and oil smuggling in the Strait of Hormuz. It also said its forces were on full alert and ready to respond without geographical limits if further violations or acts of aggression occurred. Bahrain hosts the headquarters of the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, which supports American naval operations in the Persian Gulf and surrounding waters.
The confrontation comes as the United States maintains a naval blockade against Iran and works to keep the Strait of Hormuz open to commercial shipping. US Central Command said around 1.7 billion barrels of crude oil had passed through the strategic waterway under US protection since the summer. President Donald Trump has adopted a harder line toward Tehran, saying Washington no longer needed an agreement with Iran and asking Vice President JD Vance to focus on domestic matters.
Despite the escalating military tensions, Qatar- and Pakistan-mediated diplomatic efforts are continuing. Tehran has said formal negotiations can resume only if its demands are met, including the lifting of sanctions, an end to the naval blockade of Iranian ports, the release of frozen assets and a halt to the war on all fronts.
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