CENTCOM denies Iranian claim of attack on US radar in Bahrain, says 2 drones shot down

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) on Friday denied Iranian claims that its forces had targeted and destroyed a US early-warning radar installation in Bahrain, saying two Iranian drones launched toward the Gulf country were intercepted. In a statement on US social media platform X, CENTCOM described the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' (IRGC) claim as false, saying: “The IRGC launched two one-way attack drones toward Bahrain and both were shot down by US forces.

There were no injuries or damage.” The IRGC said earlier Friday that it had targeted and destroyed a US early-warning radar facility in Bahrain in retaliation for an attack on a telecommunications tower in Iran's southern Sirik region. “This serves as a serious warning to the aggressor enemy to cease its aerial provocations and oil smuggling in the Strait of Hormuz,” Iran's state-run IRNA news agency cited the IRGC as saying. It added that the IRGC Aerospace Force was “in full readiness to engage without limits” should such violations and acts of aggression continue.

On Thursday evening, IRNA cited official sources as saying that Sirik had been hit by an “enemy” strike, a term Iranian authorities frequently use to refer to the US and Israel. The US and Israel launched a war against Iran on Feb. 28, prompting Tehran to respond with missile and drone attacks across the region and effectively close the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global energy supplies. A memorandum of understanding signed in June to pave the way for a final peace deal later collapsed amid disagreements, including over navigation in the strait.