Iran said on Friday that its forces struck a United States early-warning radar in Bahrain in retaliation for an "enemy" attack on a telecommunications tower in the Iranian port city of Sirik, in the latest exchange of claims in the nine-month war between the United States and Iran. The claim, carried by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, could not be independently confirmed, and neither Washington nor Bahrain had commented by Friday morning.

It came hours after President Donald Trump warned he would renew American strikes on Iran "without hesitation" if Tehran threatened US allies or American vessels, a sharp turn from his disclosure a day earlier that Gulf allies had asked him to pause large-scale attacks.

Key Points

• IRNA reported that Sirik, a port city in Hormozgan province near the Strait of Hormuz, was hit late on Thursday, November 12, by an "enemy" military strike.
• The Revolutionary Guard said the attack hit a telecommunications tower in Sirik county, with no damage or casualty details and no attacker named.
• On Friday, November 13, the Guard said its forces targeted a US early-warning radar in Bahrain in retaliation, the first such claim in a Gulf country since early September.
• Trump told the Salem News Channel he would renew strikes on Iran "without hesitation" if Tehran threatened US allies or American vessels.
• There was no immediate comment from the United States or Bahrain, and no independent confirmation of either strike.

What Happened

According to IRNA, the strike on Sirik came late on Thursday night. Sirik is a port city in Hormozgan province, on Iran's southern coast near the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway through which a large share of the world's oil travels. The agency described the attack only as an "enemy" military strike, without naming the attacker or giving damage or casualty details.

The Guard later said the attack hit a telecommunications tower in Sirik county. On Friday morning, it said its forces had answered with a strike of their own, targeting a US early-warning radar in Bahrain. Bahrain, across the Gulf from Iran, hosts the US Navy's Fifth Fleet, and the radar is part of the American air-defence network covering the region. The Guard warned that if such violations recur, its Aerospace Force stands ready to engage "without limits". No damage assessment was published, and no American or Bahraini official had confirmed that any attack on Bahrain took place.

Background and Context

The war began on February 28, 2026, when the United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran, opening a conflict now in its ninth month. Since then the United States has imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports and worked to secure commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

The last two weeks have been among the most volatile of the war. On November 2, American forces struck an anti-aircraft facility on Qeshm Island, and days later Iran said the United States had fired projectiles at the island again on a Sunday night. Explosions were heard along Iran's Hormuz coast on the evening of November 7, and tankers caught fire in the strait after hitting mines, according to Iranian claims never independently verified. The shipping lanes stayed open, but insurers have been pricing in the risk for months.

Diplomacy has run alongside the fighting. Vice President JD Vance said on November 2 that Washington had made "progress" in talks with Iran and set no deadline, and confirmed he had written to Iran's security chief, Mohsen Rezaei. Days later, Trump wrote on Truth Social that the United States did not need a deal at all. On Thursday, he disclosed that Gulf allies had asked him to pause large-scale strikes.

Iran Bahrain Radar Strike Raises the Stakes in the Gulf

The Bahrain claim matters because of where it points. If true, it would be the first Iranian claim of an attack on American military assets in a Gulf country since early September. Bahrain hosts the headquarters of the US Fifth Fleet and a large American military presence, and any attack on a US radar there would be read in Washington as a deliberate escalation.

The claim also matters because of what it does not say. Iran has offered no evidence, no images and no damage figures for either the Sirik strike or the Bahrain retaliation. The "enemy" label for the Sirik attacker is deliberately vague: Tehran has not said whether it believes the strike came from the United States, Israel or another actor.

Reactions and Quotes

Trump's warning, delivered in a phone interview with the Salem News Channel on Thursday, was the sharpest American statement in days. He said he would renew military strikes on Iran "without hesitation" if needed to stop threats to US allies and American vessels. He also warned Iran that it "will not exist very long any longer" if it killed a senior American official such as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who was moved to a military base over alleged Iranian threats.

The president also claimed the regime is on the brink of collapse, with inflation at 301 percent, its economy destroyed and its military wiped out — his own assertions, not independently verified. From Tehran, the Guard warned that if violations recur, its Aerospace Force stands ready to engage "without limits".

Why It Matters

The war is being driven as much by claims and counter-claims as by confirmed events. Each side's announcement shapes the other's next move, and the gap between what is claimed and what can be verified leaves room for miscalculation. A strike on a US radar in Bahrain, if real, would demand an American response; a false claim, if treated as real, could trigger one anyway.

It also matters for oil markets and shipping. The Strait of Hormuz carries about a fifth of the world's seaborne oil, and every new incident pushes insurers to raise premiums and tanker operators to reroute or delay sailings. For the Gulf states, the timing is the worst part: their own facilities and cities sit within range of Iranian missiles.

What Happens Next

The first test will be whether the United States or Bahrain confirms or denies the radar claim; a confirmation would almost certainly bring a public American response. Watch also for further detail from Iran about the Sirik strike, for the Gulf allies whose request for a pause is now being tested, and for Qatari mediators. If the pause holds, talks may resume; if a new incident follows, it could end as quickly as it began.

Frequently Asked Questions

What did Iran claim happened in Sirik? IRNA said Sirik was hit late on Thursday, November 12, by an "enemy" strike on a telecommunications tower. No attacker was named.

What did Iran claim about Bahrain? The Guard said its forces targeted a US early-warning radar in Bahrain in retaliation. The claim is unconfirmed.

What did Trump say about new strikes on Iran? He said he would renew strikes "without hesitation" if Tehran threatened US allies or American vessels.

When did the US-Iran war begin? On February 28, 2026, with US-Israeli strikes. The US is blockading Iranian ports.