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Iran targets US military base in Bahrain with drone attack
BBC • • general
Key Points:
- Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched a drone attack on the US air defence radar facility at al-Riffa air base in Bahrain, marking the second such attempt in three days, but Bahrain's air defence systems intercepted and destroyed the drones.
- The attacks are part of ongoing tensions between the US and Iran over control of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping route for global oil and gas supplies, with Iran asserting control and targeting what it calls "unauthorised" traffic.
- The US military denied Iranian claims of damage from previous drone strikes and reported shooting down incoming drones, while also conducting limited retaliatory strikes on Iran's Qeshm Island in response to Iranian attacks on US aircraft.
- Diplomatic efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end hostilities collapsed after renewed Iranian attacks and a US naval blockade, with recent US political decisions indicating a withdrawal from negotiations to resolve the conflict.
- Bahrain condemned the Iranian attacks strongly and held Iran responsible for the consequences, urging citizens to seek safety amid sirens signaling the drone assaults.
