Iran says it destroyed a US radar in Bahrain. The US says it shot down both drones and nothing was hit

The United States has rejected Iran’s claim to have destroyed one of its radars in Bahrain, saying the two drones Iran launched were shot down before they hit anything.

“The IRGC launched two one-way attack drones toward Bahrain and both were shot down by US forces,” US Central Command said in a statement on X on Friday, adding that there were no injuries or damage. Bahrain has not commented.

Earlier on Friday, Iranian state media carried a statement from the Revolutionary Guards saying their forces had “targeted and destroyed” a US early-warning radar in Bahrain. It was the first attack on US military assets in a Gulf country that Iran had claimed since early September.

Why did Iran fire?

The Guards called it a response to an air attack on Thursday on a telecommunications tower in Sirik, in Hormozgan province, which Iranian officials blamed on “enemy fire” without naming who fired. They described the strike as a warning to stop “aerial provocations” and oil smuggling in the Strait of Hormuz, and said they were ready to respond “without limits” if attacks recur. Central Command’s statement did not address the Sirik attack.

What about the tanker?

Also on Friday, the Guards’ navy said a tanker carrying liquefied natural gas had ignored warnings, hit a naval mine and exploded east of the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian media released images of a large explosion and fire. No details of the ship, its crew or any casualties were given, and there has been no independent confirmation.

Iranian media had said on Thursday that four oil tankers were hit by explosions after entering areas Iran considers restricted. At least 10 ships were hit in the first 10 days of November, after 37 attacks in October, the highest monthly total of the war, according to the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

What is Washington saying more broadly?

President Donald Trump, asked in an interview on Thursday whether he would hesitate to use force if Iran threatened US allies or ships, replied: “No, without hesitation.” Hours later he said Gulf allies had asked him to hold off on further strikes on Iran. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said economic pressure on Iran is working well enough that large-scale operations need not resume. Central Command says its naval blockade of Iranian ports remains in force.

Bahrain is home to the headquarters of the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, which was hit in the opening hours of the war in February.

Why it matters beyond the Gulf

Roughly a fifth of the world’s oil normally passes through the Strait of Hormuz. The International Energy Agency said on Friday that Gulf exports have recovered to the point where the world is producing more oil than it uses for the first time since the war began, but warned that attacks on shipping are the biggest threat to that recovery. Fuel prices in Australia and Asia, which buy much of the region’s oil, depend on it.

VNN will update this story as more is confirmed.