Iran claims drone attack on US base in Bahrain as Gulf tensions rise

Bahrain issued two warnings of potential security threats on Sunday, its first such alerts since September, after Iran claimed to have attacked a U.S. military base in the Gulf kingdom, raising fresh concerns over the fragile lull in a regional war now approaching its ninth month. The reported attack comes as diplomatic efforts to secure a U.S.-Iran agreement to end the conflict remain stalled. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it had struck an American military installation in Bahrain in retaliation for what it described as "hostile US actions," according to Iran's Fars news agency.

The Revolutionary Guards said six drones had been launched at a U.S. air defense radar system at the Al-Rifaa helicopter base, Iranian state broadcaster Press TV reported. Neither U.S. nor Bahraini authorities immediately confirmed the attack or reported any damage. Bahrain, which hosts the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet, urged residents to remain calm and move to the nearest safe location, according to the Interior Ministry. Authorities gave no further details about the nature of the threats.

The latest claim follows another reported Iranian strike against U.S. military infrastructure in Bahrain two days earlier. The Revolutionary Guards said they had targeted an American early-warning radar, but the U.S. military rejected that account, saying its forces intercepted two Iranian drones and that no damage had occurred. The renewed tensions threaten diplomatic attempts to end the war, which began with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28 and subsequently spread across the Middle East.

Tehran responded with missile and drone attacks on American bases in Gulf countries. Although Washington and Tehran have largely avoided direct attacks in recent weeks, negotiations have yet to produce a breakthrough. President Donald Trump has indicated in recent days that he could refrain from further attacks on Iran provided Tehran and the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen avoid new provocations. However, he intends to maintain the U.S. naval blockade, Reuters reported Saturday.

Fighting has continued on another front, with the Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition battling them exchanging attacks. The coalition said Sunday that Saudi air defenses intercepted two Houthi ballistic missiles heading toward the capital, Riyadh, along with three drones targeting the kingdom's oil-rich Eastern Province.