Iran's Revolutionary Guard says it destroyed US radar in Bahrain; US military says it shot down two drones

Iran and the United States gave sharply different accounts on Friday of an Iranian attack on Bahrain, the small Gulf kingdom that hosts the headquarters of the US Navy's Fifth Fleet.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said its aerospace forces had "targeted and destroyed" a US early-warning radar in Bahrain, according to Iranian state media and the Fars news agency. The Guard described the strike as a response to what it called aerial aggression against a telecommunications tower in Sirik county in southern Iran's Hormozgan province on Thursday. Iranian statements did not say who carried out the Sirik attack, and no casualty figures were given.

US says no damage

US Central Command rejected the Iranian account. In a post on X, it said the IRGC launched two one-way attack drones towards Bahrain and US forces shot both down, with no injuries or damage. Bahrain's Foreign Ministry had not responded to requests for comment, according to reports.

The IRGC called the action a "serious warning" to Washington to stop what it described as aerial provocations and oil smuggling in the Strait of Hormuz, and said its forces were ready to respond "without geographical limits" if there were further violations. It is the first such Iranian claim against US assets in a Gulf country since early September, when Bahrain and Kuwait reported intercepting Iranian missiles and drones.

Talks stalled

The exchange comes a day after President Donald Trump said the US no longer needed a deal with Iran. He has also said he would not hesitate to renew strikes if necessary. Tehran says it is waiting for Washington to respond to its conditions for resuming talks, including a ceasefire, an end to the US naval blockade of its ports and the lifting of sanctions. Qatar and Pakistan are among those still trying to mediate.

In Washington, a group of Democratic senators including Bernie Sanders and Chris Van Hollen threatened to hold up a government funding deal unless it barred federal money for continued military operations against Iran, Dawn reported. Separately, the UN nuclear watchdog urged Iran to allow inspectors to return, saying it could not confirm the status of material at the Isfahan enrichment site.

The conflict, which began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran on 28 February, has repeatedly disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. For India, which relies heavily on Gulf energy supplies and has millions of citizens working in Gulf states, any widening of attacks to Gulf territory is a direct concern.