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Iran says it hit a US radar in Bahrain and a gas tanker hit a mine in Hormuz; unverified
Iran's Revolutionary Guard says it destroyed a US early warning radar in Bahrain after a US strike on a communications pole at Sirik, and that a gas tanker struck a mine in the eastern Strait of Hormuz. US and Bahraini authorities had not responded and UKMTO had no report of the tanker.
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Iran's Revolutionary Guard said on Friday, 13 November 2026, that it destroyed a United States early warning radar in Bahrain, and that a liquefied gas tanker struck a mine and exploded in the eastern part of the Strait of Hormuz. Neither claim could be independently verified. United States Central Command and Bahrain's Ministry of Information did not immediately respond to requests for comment, and the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, which tracks incidents at sea, had no immediate report of the tanker. This report sets out what is claimed and what is known, and it will change as officials respond.
What Iran says
The Guard said the strike on the radar was a serious warning to the United States to stop its strikes. According to Iran's state news agency, it linked the attack to an earlier American strike on a telecommunications pole at Sirik, a port in southern Iran. The claim was the first of its kind in months and the first Iranian report of targeting a Bahraini facility since September. Bahrain is a sharp critic of Iran and the base of the United States Navy's Fifth Fleet.
On the tanker, the Guard said the vessel struck a mine and exploded while trying to transit the eastern Strait, and that it had ignored repeated warnings. Reports differ on the ship type: one described a liquefied petroleum gas tanker, while others called it a liquefied natural gas carrier. The ship's name, flag and the fate of its crew were not given, and there was no report of casualties.
| Claim | Source | Status |
|---|---|---|
| US early warning radar in Bahrain destroyed | Revolutionary Guard, via state agency | Not verified; no US or Bahraini response yet |
| Reason given | A US strike on a communications pole at Sirik | Iranian account only |
| Gas tanker hit a mine in eastern Hormuz | Revolutionary Guard | UKMTO had no immediate report |
| Type of tanker | LPG in one report, LNG in others | Conflicting |
Why it matters
Bahrain hosts the headquarters of the Fifth Fleet, and an early warning radar there would be part of the air defence picture for American forces in the Gulf. If the claim is true, it would be a sign that Iran is willing to hit targets in a neighbouring state, and if it is false, it would still be a warning aimed at deterring further American strikes. Without a statement from Washington or Manama, neither reading can be confirmed.
The tanker claim bears on the world's most important oil route. Before the conflict the Strait carried nearly a fifth of the world's crude. Iran has routinely targeted oil tankers in the Strait and warned ships not to pass without its approval, and mines would raise the risk to insurers and owners. Oil prices have been volatile this week: Brent settled at $95.82 on Thursday after Houthi claims on Saudi sites, and was near $95.47 on Friday.
An early warning radar tracks aircraft and missiles at long range and feeds air defence systems, so its loss would matter to the defence of a base even if the base itself were intact. The Fifth Fleet's headquarters in Manama is the main American naval base in the Gulf, which is why any claim about it draws attention. The UK Maritime Trade Operations, run by the Royal Navy from Dubai, receives voluntary reports from ships and publishes advisories, and a lack of a report from it does not prove that an incident did not happen; it means only that no ship or authority had reported one to the centre when the claim was made. Insurers watch these advisories because they set the cost of war-risk cover for ships entering the Gulf.
The background
An air war between the United States and Iran began in February, and during it Iran struck American bases in neighbouring Arab states, including Bahrain, in retaliation for American strikes. The conflict has run for nine months, with periods of lower tension and of attacks on shipping. This week President Donald Trump said on 11 November that the war was effectively over, and Tehran denied that talks were taking place; on 12 November he said Washington did not need a deal with Iran. The claims on Friday cut against the view that the fighting is winding down.
Readers should treat the claims with care for three reasons. They come from one party to the conflict, they concern places that outside observers cannot easily reach, and the accounts already differ on basic facts such as the type of tanker. What would settle them is a statement from Central Command or the Bahraini government on the radar, and an advisory from the maritime trade body on the tanker, or satellite images of either site.
The immediate questions are whether the United States responds, whether more strikes follow on either side, and whether shipping companies change their routes or raise insurance premiums for the Strait. Markets will watch crude oil on Monday, and diplomats will watch whether the claims change the approach of the United States and Iran to any talks, which both sides have publicly described in different ways.
Sources
About the Author
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Prateek Rawat
Staff Writer
Prateek Rawat is a contributor to Wirony. All articles published under this byline undergo editorial review and approval before publication, with any necessary corrections handled…
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