Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched six drones at a U.S. air defense radar system at Bahrain’s Al-Riffa base on Sunday morning, and just like Friday, the whole thing went sideways for Tehran. Bahraini air defenses intercepted and destroyed the incoming drones before they reached their targets.
The IRGC called it a response to what it described as “hostile U.S. actions” and “blatant aggression.” They also threw in a warning for good measure: “The Strait of Hormuz is closed, and any aggression by the American enemy will be met with an even harsher and more forceful response.” Bold talk from a country whose drones keep getting swatted out of the sky like mosquitoes.
Sirens sounded and explosions were reported near the capital, Manama. Bahrain put out two nationwide shelter alerts, the first since September, warning residents to expect missile impacts. Neither U.S. nor Bahraini authorities confirmed any hits, injuries, or damage to the radar site from Sunday’s attack. Bahrain also hosts the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet headquarters, so Iran wasn’t exactly aiming at a minor target. For all the bluster, they hit nothing.
This was actually the second attack in three days. On Friday, the IRGC claimed it had destroyed a U.S. early-warning radar system. U.S. Central Command wasn’t impressed. Iran drone attack on Bahrain “The IRGC launched two one-way attack drones toward Bahrain and both were shot down by US forces. There were no injuries or damage,” CENTCOM said flatly. So Iran’s big Friday victory was two drones turned into scrap metal over the Persian Gulf.
Bahrain’s government had some words for Iran too. The Kingdom of Bahrain condemns in the strongest terms the continued brutal Iranian attacks on its territory and holds Iran fully responsible for their consequences,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. Iran’s response to being condemned was apparently to try it again on Sunday.
Sunday’s attack came after President Trump made clear negotiations with Iran are done. We don’t need a deal with Iran. Those days have long since passed. We’ve got their money, Hundreds of Billions of Dollars, and we’ve got their Strait,” he wrote on Truth Social. That’s the kind of negotiating position that makes sense when your air defenses are batting a thousand and Iran’s drones are batting zero.
Prior to these two attacks, Iran had spent months focused on shipping disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz while U.S. forces continued limited strikes on Iranian targets in the area. Friday’s strike was the first Iranian claim of an attack on a U.S. military asset in a Gulf state since early September. Now they’ve done it twice in one weekend, with nothing to show for it both times. Expect CENTCOM to keep issuing the same statement, and expect Iran to keep pretending it counts as a victory.
