Iran fired drones at Bahrain early Sunday, its second attack in three days on the Gulf kingdom that hosts the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, after a lull that had held since September, as months of diplomacy to end the war have produced no breakthrough.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said six drones targeted “the US air defence radar system at the Al-Riffa helicopter base in Bahrain,” calling the strike the second phase of its response to hostile US actions. “Any aggression by the American enemy will be met with an even harsher and more forceful response,” the Guards said in a statement carried by Iranian state television, according to AFP. The IRGC released footage of the launches:
IRGC releases footage of launches toward Riffa Air Base in Bahrain
IRNA: ‘A radar at a U.S. air defense site at the Riffa helicopter base in Bahrain was targeted by six drones’ pic.twitter.com/MmH38uaPJa
— RT (@RT_com) November 15, 2026
The general command of the Bahrain Defence Force said “Iran continues its systematic hostile approach through its sinful attacks targeting the Kingdom of Bahrain” (translated), and that its air defenses intercepted the drones before they reached their targets. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
تعلن القيادة العامة لقوة دفاع البحرين أن إيران تواصل نهجها العدائي الممنهج عبر اعتداءاتها الآثمة التي تستهدف مملكة البحرين.https://t.co/XJbdf7MMVp pic.twitter.com/HbU0hzAZNs
— قوة دفاع البحرين (@BDF_Bahrain) November 15, 2026
Explosions were heard over the island around 4 a.m. local time, with residents reporting a second series of blasts around 6:30 a.m., AFP reported. The Interior Ministry put out two nationwide alerts, Bahrain’s first since September, telling citizens and residents to “remain calm, proceed to the nearest safe location”:
An alert of potential threat. The Ministry of Interior urged citizens and residents to remain calm, proceed to the nearest safe location, and follow news through official channels for the protection of public safety.#Bahrain #MOI
— وزارة الداخلية – Ministry of Interior (@moi_bahrain) November 15, 2026
Bahrain’s Foreign Ministry said the kingdom “rejects turning its territory into an arena for settling scores and holds Iran fully responsible” for the attacks on Friday and Sunday and their consequences, RFE/RL reported.
On Friday, the Guards claimed they had destroyed a US early-warning radar in Bahrain in retaliation for American strikes on a telecommunications tower in Sirik, in southern Iran, as we reported. Central Command disputed that, saying both drones the IRGC launched toward Bahrain were shot down by US forces, with “no injuries or damage”:
🚫 CLAIM: Today, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it attacked a “U.S. early-warning radar” in Bahrain.
✅ FACT: The IRGC launched two one-way attack drones toward Bahrain and both were shot down by U.S. forces. There were no injuries or damage. pic.twitter.com/mGvAJJGM6x
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) November 13, 2026
After the US and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28, Tehran fired thousands of missiles and drones at the Gulf states that host American forces, Bahrain among the most heavily hit. Those attacks had largely died down until Friday.
The Guards also had a warning for shipping on Sunday: “The Strait of Hormuz is closed.” The IRGC Navy separately claimed two oil tankers had struck naval mines south of the strait, a claim maritime authorities had not verified, The National reported. It is the latest in a run of mine claims: the Guards said three more tankers were hit in the strait on Nov. 10, and Iran said a day later that it had struck Oman’s Didamar Island, whose lighthouse and radar guide tankers through Hormuz’s southern lane.
Saudi Arabia condemned the attacks on Bahrain as a violation of international law. Its own air defenses intercepted two ballistic missiles that Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis fired at Riyadh, along with drones over the Eastern Province. On Friday, Gulf states demanded that Iran pay full compensation for every attack since February.
In Washington, Trump has held off on new strikes but is keeping the naval blockade of Iran’s ports in place, and declared on Thursday: “We don’t need a deal with Iran”, as we noted. He is set to raise the war with Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin at their three-way summit in Shenzhen on Thursday.
Tehran has been widening the map: Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, warned this week that if American aircraft use bases in Europe to attack Iran, “we may even target some US military bases in European countries.”
