Iran says it launched drones and missiles at US military base in Bahrain

IRGC claims drone and missile strike on US air base in Bahrain (File image)

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Tuesday that it had carried out a drone and missile strike on a United States air base in Bahrain, according to a statement reported by the official news agency Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and carried by Islamic Republic News Agency.

“The IRGC announced that... its naval forces carried out a large-scale drone and missile attack at dawn on the US air base in the Sheikh Isa area of Bahrain,” IRNA posted on Telegram, using the acronym for Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The statement said 20 drones and three missiles were launched in the operation, claiming they had “destroyed the base's main command headquarters,” though no evidence was provided to support the assertion.

Smoke was reported rising from the US embassies in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait after Iranian drones struck the diplomatic missions on Tuesday.

The US State Department said the embassy in Riyadh was hit by two unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). “Embassy Riyadh has been struck by two UAVs that hit the roof and the perimeter of the chancery. Post is sheltering in place and reported no injuries," the department added.

This follows sustained US operations targeting Iran’s military infrastructure, with US Central Command saying its forces have struck Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps command-and-control centres, air defence systems, missile and drone launch sites, and military airfields, according to a post on X.

(With agency inputs)