Bahrain Denounces Iranian Drone Strikes Following U.S. Nighttime Operations

Bahrain reported that Iran launched drone strikes against it on Saturday, apparently in retaliation for overnight U.S. strikes on Iranian targets; a vessel in the Strait of Hormuz was also hit.

Bahrain’s foreign ministry said several drones were fired at the nation, adding that no immediate damage had been reported. It condemned the assault, calling it a blatant threat to the safety of citizens and residents.

No damage or casualties were reported from the tanker attack in the Strait of Hormuz. No group claimed responsibility, though Iran is suspected of carrying it out.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said earlier Saturday that it had struck several sites belonging to the “U.S. terrorist army in the region,” without giving specifics. Bahrain hosts the United States Navy’s Fifth Fleet.

The strikes followed a U.S. military announcement that it had hit Iranian missile and drone sites overnight, along with coastal radar installations, saying the action was a response to an Iranian drone attack on a vessel in the Strait of Hormuz.

The reciprocal strikes represented the first outbreak of violence between the United States and Iran since a memorandum of understanding was signed last week. The MOU — the first such agreement between the two nations since Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution — extended a tenuous cease‑fire and opened a 60‑day window for negotiations aimed at a durable peace.

Numerous differences persist, and a primary sticking point is the Strait of Hormuz, which President Donald Trump seeks to reopen amid high energy prices and upcoming U.S. midterm elections.

Iran effectively closed the strait during the conflict, and its status remains under discussion among Iran, Oman and other regional mediators seeking to establish a post‑war governance framework for the waterway.

A U.S. Navy‑supervised multinational maritime body announced on Saturday that it would enlarge a route near Oman within the Strait of Hormuz to boost inbound and outbound traffic, a move that would undermine a key source of leverage for Tehran, which has relied on its control of the strait and surrounding shipping lanes in negotiations with the United States.

The International Maritime Organization halted its ship‑evacuation operations in the strait on Friday, saying it would not restart until assurances are given that vessels will not be attacked. The IMO reported that it had evacuated roughly 115 ships in recent days, while other tankers remain stranded, some for months.

Iran has insisted that vessels comply with its directives and warned it may impose tolls on ships attempting to transit the waterway. Despite the threats and attacks, shipping companies have continued to attempt departures from the strait in recent days.

The United States and Gulf states have rejected Iran’s efforts to assert control over the strait, maintaining that it is an international waterway.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance, a central figure in the Iran negotiations, said on Friday evening that Iran should “pick up the phone” when disputes arise, warning that “violence will be met with violence”.

Meanwhile in Lebanon, Hezbollah rejected a framework agreement reached on Friday in Washington between Israel and the Lebanese government, noting that it is not taking part in the talks even though the conflict is between Hezbollah and Israel.

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem called the 14‑point agreement a surrender to Israel, declaring it “null and void,” and accused the Lebanese government of granting unnecessary concessions to Israel that erode national sovereignty.

The document outlines a phased withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon, to be replaced by Lebanese army troops responsible for preventing Hezbollah fighters from returning and for dismantling the group’s infrastructure in the region.

Israel occupies over 600 square kilometers of southern Lebanon, which it says it will not relinquish. Israeli forces have demolished dozens of villages in the occupied zone and displaced more than a million residents, mainly from southern Lebanon.

Under the framework agreement, Hezbollah’s disarmament is a precondition for the Israeli withdrawal. Hezbollah has opposed the disarmament demand, with Qassem arguing that it would legitimize Israel’s presence in southern Lebanon.

Despite the disagreements, a U.S.-brokered cease‑fire between Hezbollah and Israel last week has largely held, with a few exceptions. On Saturday the Israeli military conducted a drone strike in the Nabatieh area, saying it targeted an individual who “posed a threat to its forces,” though no evidence was offered.

Iran has repeatedly tied the durability of the Lebanon cease‑fire and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanon to the outcome of U.S.–Iran peace talks, a linkage that both Israel and the United States have resisted.

Source link