Iran says it hit US radar in Bahrain; Washington denies damage and reports downing two drones

In brief

• Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps says it hit a US radar in Bahrain in retaliation for a US strike on a telecommunications tower in Sirik.
• US Central Command denies the radar was damaged and says it intercepted two one-way attack drones.
• The incident is Iran's first direct attack on US military installations in months.

Tehran's claim and the retaliation it cites

Tehran's Revolutionary Guard Corps said on Friday that its air force had struck and put out of action a US early-warning radar on Bahrain. The force presented the operation as payback for an American attack on a telecommunications tower in Sirik, a county on the Strait of Hormuz coast (Iran says it destroyed US military radar in Bahrain in retaliatory strike – The Guardian). The IRGC described the action as a stern message to what it called the aggressor, urging it to stop its air activity and oil smuggling in the strait, and said its aerospace force stood ready to respond without restraint to any further violations.

Washington disputes the outcome

Several hours after the initial statement, US Central Command rejected the claim that the radar had been destroyed. It said it had intercepted two one-way attack drones headed for Bahrain, and reported no casualties or damage.

Why it matters

The attack, the first direct Iranian strike on US military installations in months, comes against the backdrop of the wider conflict that began with US and Israeli strikes earlier this year.

What comes next

The key open question is whether Tehran will follow through on its warning of further attacks if the US continues operations near the Strait of Hormuz. For now, the two sides give conflicting accounts of what the Bahrain strike achieved, and no independent confirmation of damage has been reported.