Iran launches retaliatory strikes on Bahrain after latest US attacks

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Iran launched a drone attack against Bahrain early Saturday, hours after the U.S. military carried out strikes on Iranian military sites.

Bahrain, which hosts the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet, said it was attacked by a number of Iranian drones and condemned the latest strikes as a blatant violation of its sovereignty. It accused Tehran of “destabilizing security, exporting chaos and undermining regional stability.”

There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties in the Gulf state.

Hours later, a shipping monitor run by the British Navy — the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center — said a vessel in the Strait of Hormuz was struck by an unidentified projectile. The ship’s bridge was damaged, but no injuries were reported.

The attack appears to be in retaliation to the U.S. Central Command operation on Friday, which zeroed in on Iranian missile and drone storage sites and coastal radar locations. The strike was a response to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Thursday attack on a Singapore-flagged container ship, Ever Lovely, near the coast of Oman as it was exiting the Strait of Hormuz.

President Trump, in justifying the operation, said Iran had “foolishly” violated its ceasefire agreement.

“We’ll find out,” Trump said, when asked in the Oval Office whether Iran would face consequences for the strike.

The tit-for-tat strikes come as the U.S. continues its negotiations with Tehran over the nation’s nuclear program and bringing an end to the conflict. The president signed a 14-point memorandum of understanding with the Iranian regime earlier this month, which included a 60-day truce and a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

The strait is a global maritime chokepoint carrying roughly one-fifth of global oil and liquified natural gas supplies. Iran has asserted its authority over the shipping corridor, issuing warnings that safe passage through the strait is only guaranteed for vessels that coordinate their routes with Tehran.

The Islamic Republic’s foreign ministry accused the U.S. on Saturday of breaching the ceasefire and said its military would “defend the country’s sovereignty, security, and national interests with all its strength,” according to Reuters.

The United Arab Emirates released a statement on Saturday saying it “strongly condemns the Iranian aggressive attacks on Bahrain using drones.”

Kuwait also condemned the drone strike as “reprehensible Iranian aggression” against Bahrain, describing it as a “direct threat to its security and stability.”

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Bahrain

Gulf allies

Iran war

Kuwait

Middle East conflict

Strait of Hormuz

U.S. strikes on Iran

U.S.-Iran conflict

UAE

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