The Revolutionary Guards announced on Friday 13 November 2026 that they had targeted and destroyed an American early warning radar in Bahrain. They describe this operation as a response to an air attack on a telecommunications tower in Sirik, southern Iran. The claim is contained in their communiqué number 22, reproduced in full by an Iranian agency. At this stage, the information consulted does not provide an independent confirmation of the anticipated destruction.
Bahrain claims US radar
The text attributes the operation to the aerospace force of the Revolutionary Guards. He states that his fighters struck the radar about an hour before the press release was written. This relative indication does not allow a precise time to be fixed. The Iranian publication is dated 13 November; The announcement was also reported Friday by an international agency.
The press release does not give the name of the site, the radar model or its exact location in Bahrain. It also does not specify the means used. It would therefore be premature to describe an attack by missiles, drones or combat aircraft on that basis alone.
There are no human reports accompanying this announcement. The claimed destruction also does not constitute a verified assessment of U.S. on-site capabilities. The accessible documents do not provide independent evidence of damage or confirmation of the alleged impact by the United States or Bahrain.
Sirik, announced starting point of reprisals
The Guardians present their action as a response to an attack on a telecommunications tower in Sirik, Hormozgan province. The day before, Thursday, 12 November, the Iranian official press reported an attack in the southern part of the country, citing unnamed official sources. It referred to military objectives, without publishing a detailed assessment.
The first Iranian versions were not identical. Prior to the announcement of an attack, another report had attributed the explosion noise to warning shots against vessels considered to be violators in the Strait of Ormuz. These successive accounts require a distinction between reported explosions, their alleged origin and actual damage.
The press release of 13 November now specifies the reason invoked by the Guardians: the Sirik tower. However, it does not provide any evidence to independently attribute this aerial attack to a particular actor. No number of victims can be added to this sequence from the available information.
A warning that also targets navigation
The Guardians associate their claim with a warning on air operations and oil transport in the Strait of Ormuz. They say their aerospace force is ready for a « limitless » confrontation if the attacks and offences they denounce are repeated. They also threaten more stringent measures against the companies they accuse of being driven by their opponent, without identifying them.
This formulation explicitly links the military target claimed in Bahrain to the maritime arm around Ormuz. It is not sufficient to establish a new attack on a ship or a new sanction against a shipowner. The extent of damage to radar, the existence of possible victims and the responses of the US and Bahraini authorities remain the main elements to be verified.
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