Iran's Revolutionary Guards said their forces had targeted a US early warning radar system in Bahrain, with the US military saying it shot down two Iranian drones targeting the Gulf island on Friday (Nov 13).
"A few hours ago, IRGC Aerospace Force fighters targeted and destroyed the US aggressors' early-warning radar on the island of Bahrain," the Revolutionary Guards said in a statement carried by state media.
They said the operation was in response to a US attack on a telecommunications tower in Sirik, on the shores of the Strait of Hormuz.
Several hours later, the US military's Central Command denied that the radar had been destroyed and said it intercepted two "one-way attack drones" launched at Bahrain by the Guards.
It reported no casualties or damage.
Tehran repeatedly targeted American bases in Bahrain earlier in the Middle East war, with US media reporting damage to a logistics hub extensive enough that the US Navy is now relying on bases thousands of miles away.
CENTCOM, which oversees American military operations in the region, said last month that it had helped Gulf countries export 1.5 billion barrels of oil since the summer via Hormuz, a key energy trading route.
"This is a serious warning to the aggressor enemy to stop its aerial provocations and oil smuggling in the Strait of Hormuz," the Guards added in their statement.
Gulf countries bore the brunt of Tehran's wrath after the United States and Israel started the war by launching a wave of surprise attacks on Iran on Feb 28.
In retaliation, Iran has restricted shipping through Hormuz and struck infrastructure including airports, seaports, energy facilities, landmarks and US assets across the region.
The United States imposed a blockade on Iranian ports early in the war and announced in August what it called an "economic asphyxiation" campaign on Iran aimed at curbing its trade and financial flows.
Washington has appeared to dial back threats of renewed strikes after the defeat of US President Donald Trump's Republican Party in recent midterm elections, in part due to the unpopularity of the war on Iran.
Source: AFP
--Agencies
