Iran launched a drone attack on Bahrain early Saturday, striking back just hours after the U.S. military targeted Iranian missile and radar installations. Bahrain, which hosts the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet, confirmed the assault and denounced it as a clear breach of its sovereignty.
Bahraini officials accused Tehran of seeking to "destabilize security, export chaos, and undermine regional stability." No casualties or significant damage were immediately reported in the Gulf kingdom.
The tit-for-tat strikes follow a pattern of escalation. On Friday, U.S. Central Command hit Iranian missile and drone storage sites and coastal radar positions—a direct response to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Thursday attack on the Singapore-flagged container ship Ever Lovely near Oman as it exited the Strait of Hormuz.
President Trump justified the U.S. operation by saying Iran had "foolishly" violated its ceasefire agreement. When asked whether Iran would face further consequences, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, "We'll find out."
Hours after the Bahrain strike, the British Navy's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center reported that a vessel in the Strait of Hormuz was hit by an unidentified projectile. The ship's bridge sustained damage, but no injuries were reported.
The Strait of Hormuz remains a critical global chokepoint, carrying about one-fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas. Iran has long asserted authority over the waterway, warning that safe passage is guaranteed only for vessels coordinating with Tehran.
The back-and-forth violence threatens a fragile 60-day truce signed earlier this month between the Trump administration and the Iranian regime. That agreement, which included a 14-point memorandum of understanding, was meant to reopen the strait and create space for broader nuclear negotiations.
Iran's foreign ministry accused the U.S. on Saturday of breaking the ceasefire. According to Reuters, the ministry said its military would "defend the country's sovereignty, security, and national interests with all its strength."
The United Arab Emirates quickly condemned the drone attack on Bahrain, calling it "Iranian aggressive attacks" and standing with Manama. Kuwait described the strikes as "reprehensible Iranian aggression" and a "direct threat" to Bahrain's security and stability.
For more context, see our coverage of Trump's accusation that Iran broke the Strait of Hormuz ceasefire and the UN halting Hormuz evacuation after an earlier drone strike.
