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Iran targets US military site in Gulf for first time in two months as hopes for a deal fade

By Linda Ikeji 13 November 2026, 10:26 pm

Iranian forces targeted a United States military installation in Bahrain early Friday in what Tehran described as retaliation for an American strike on Iranian territory, marking Iran’s first direct attempt to hit a U.S. military facility in a Gulf state in over two months.

United States Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed that American air defenses intercepted and destroyed two Iranian one-way attack drones launched toward Bahrain, reporting no casualties or structural damage.

The statement directly refuted claims by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which asserted via state-affiliated media that its aerospace forces had successfully struck and destroyed an American early-warning radar system on the island, home to the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet, in response to an alleged aerial attack on a telecommunications tower in the southern Iranian port town of Sirik.

The strike signals a sharp escalation following a two-month pause in Iranian attacks on Gulf bases since early September, during which Tehran had largely concentrated on disrupting commercial maritime transit through the Strait of Hormuz.

Maritime intelligence data indicates that vessel attacks in the strategic waterway reached a conflict high of 37 incidents in October, with at least 14 additional attacks recorded so far in November.

Despite ongoing disruptions, the International Energy Agency noted that global oil supplies are showing tentative signs of rebalancing as Middle Eastern crude exports recover faster than global demand.

The renewed military friction coincides with collapsing diplomatic prospects between Washington and Tehran. Just one day prior to the drone launch, U.S. President Donald Trump declared on social media that Washington no longer required a negotiated settlement with Iran and instructed Vice President JD Vance, who had been leading diplomatic outreach, to shift his focus entirely toward domestic issues.

"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!" Trump posted on Truth Social, referencing frozen Iranian assets and U.S. naval control over the Persian Gulf chokepoint.