Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Claims Closure of Hormuz Strait Amid Second Wave of Drone Strikes on Bahrain, Issues Warning to the U.S.

Original article: “El estrecho de Ormuz está cerrado”: la Guardia Revolucionaria de Irán reivindica una segunda oleada de drones contra Bahréin y advierte a EE.UU.

The IRGC claims that its Aerospace Force destroyed a U.S. radar at the Al Riffa base, stating that the attack is a «decisive and crushing response» to Washington’s «aggression.» The U.S. Central Command denies the radar was hit and asserts that two drones were shot down.

The Citizen

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced on Sunday that its Aerospace Force conducted a second phase of drone strikes against U.S. targets in Bahrain, responding to what it labeled as «U.S. aggression.» According to a statement from the Iranian military entity, the strike aimed at the radar system at the Al Riffa helicopter base.

«The precise and effective impact of these drones was heard in various parts of Bahrain, once again demonstrating the operational capabilities of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps,» the statement claims, not specifying the exact number of drones used in this phase but asserting that more drones were deployed than in the previous one.

The IRGC characterized the operation as «the second phase of a decisive and crushing response to U.S. aggression,» accusing Washington of attempting to «distract global attention from the closure of the Hormuz Strait through limited and indiscriminate actions.» The statement posits that these U.S. actions followed the «failure» of an operation presented as an escort mission, but which Tehran alleges was intended for «oil smuggling» through this strategic maritime route.

«However, the elite young officers of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps firmly declare: The Hormuz Strait is closed, and any aggression from the U.S. enemy will receive a harsher and more crushing response,» the statement adds. The IRGC further warned that any act of aggression would provoke a «harsh» and «calculated» response.

The statement deems the attack in Bahrain as «a serious warning to the aggressive enemy to cease its aerial provocations and oil smuggling in the Hormuz Strait.»

U.S. Version and Context of the Conflict

The Iranian version contrasts with that provided by the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), which denied that a military radar was destroyed. According to the U.S. command, its forces shot down two one-way attack drones launched by the IRGC toward Bahrain, with no injuries or material damage reported.

Sunday’s incident marks an escalation from a previous event on Friday when the IRGC announced the destruction of an early warning radar in Bahrain in retaliation for a U.S. attack on a communications tower in the Iranian town of Sirik. Therefore, this operation on Sunday is presented as a continuation of that response.

This exchange of attacks and accusations occurs within a broader conflict that, according to consulted sources, began on February 28, 2026, following attacks by U.S. and Israeli forces against Iranian territory. Since then, Iran has restricted maritime transit in the Hormuz Strait and has targeted U.S. infrastructure and assets in the region.

The situation at Hormuz, through which approximately 20% of the world’s oil and liquefied gas passes in peacetime, is highly tense. This week, the IRGC Navy reported that two oil tankers attempting to cross an «unauthorized route» exploded and caught fire after colliding with naval mines, while Tehran insists that the maritime passage remains closed.

The Citizen