Iran announced Friday that its forces destroyed a United States early-warning radar installation in Bahrain, marking a sharp escalation in the military confrontation between Tehran and Washington that has gripped the Gulf region for months.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said its Aerospace Force struck the American radar system in retaliation for a US air attack on a telecommunications tower in Iran’s Hormozgan province near the Strait of Hormuz. The IRGC framed the operation as a warning to Washington to cease what it called aerial provocations and oil smuggling through the strategic waterway.
The US military’s Central Command immediately rejected the Iranian claim, stating that its forces intercepted two one-way attack drones launched toward Bahrain and reported no casualties or damage. Bahrain, which hosts major American military installations, has not yet commented on the incident.
Separately, Iranian forces reported that a liquefied natural gas carrier exploded after striking a naval mine while attempting to cross an unauthorised passage south of the Strait. The IRGC did not identify the vessel or its origin. In a follow-up statement Saturday, Iranian media said another oil tanker caught fire after hitting a mine in the eastern Strait, with the Iranian navy warning shipowners against disregarding its traffic control procedures.
Since conflict erupted in late February following US and Israeli strikes on Iran, Tehran has sought to restrict maritime traffic through Hormuz, demanding vessels obtain Iranian authorisation before passage. Washington has responded with a naval blockade on Iranian ports. The US military maintains it has cleared the main shipping routes of mines, contradicting Iranian claims.
Amid the rising tensions, President Donald Trump has privately told senior advisers in recent days that he may hold off on attacking Iran if the US faces no new provocations from Tehran or Iran-backed Houthi fighters in Yemen, according to three people familiar with the discussions.
Trump has alternated between threatening escalation and signalling restraint, and current and former officials say he has not made a final decision on how to resolve the unpopular conflict he launched in February alongside Israel. In meetings with national security advisers and after intelligence briefings, Trump indicated he was considering a pause in strikes, the sources said.
The president has also expressed sympathy for regional allies who have urged him not to return to full-scale war. Speaking to sports broadcaster Stephen A. Smith on Thursday, Trump said he could end the conflict immediately but was taking a longer, more measured approach at the request of nations he is seeking to protect.
A White House official said Trump remains the sole decision-maker and will always ensure American interests are protected, adding that the United States is in a strong position with control of the Strait and Iran’s economy collapsing.
The confrontation has spread beyond the Gulf. In Yemen, the internationally recognised government is strengthening defensive positions around Aden as Iran-backed Houthi fighters advance toward the province, according to military officials. The Houthis have seized strategic hilltops overlooking Aden, the government’s interim capital, and fighting has intensified since a fragile truce collapsed in July.
At the United Nations, Russian and Chinese ambassadors expressed concern over reports of renewed US and Israeli hostilities against Iran, stressing the need for political and diplomatic solutions. The UN Security Council held a meeting Friday on the Middle East situation at Bahrain’s request.
The escalating crisis has sent shockwaves through global energy markets and raised fears of a wider regional war that could draw in multiple powers and disrupt critical shipping lanes.
