Iran’s army targets US Fifth Fleet in drone strikes in Bahrain

Iran launched explosive drone strikes against the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain early on June 10, 2026, in what Tehran described as retaliation for American airstrikes on Iranian soil. The attack, carried out jointly by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Iran’s regular army, the Artesh, represents the most direct Iranian military assault on a major US installation in the Gulf region in decades.

The strikes reportedly commenced around 2:30 a.m. local time using Shahed-136 one-way attack drones.

What Iran targeted and why

The drone operation did not limit itself to a single location. Iranian forces reportedly struck at three distinct targets in Bahrain: the Fifth Fleet headquarters, Sheikh Isa Airbase, and a strategic radar site.

The Fifth Fleet oversees US naval operations across the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, the Red Sea, and parts of the Indian Ocean.

Iranian state media framed the assault as a proportional response to what Tehran says were prior US airstrikes on multiple locations in southern Iran. Those strikes reportedly hit Jask, Sirik, and Qeshm, areas Iran claims suffered damage to civilian infrastructure.

Iranian officials went further, warning of a “more severe response” if US operations in the region persist.

The broader Gulf context

The reported US strikes on Jask, Sirik, and Qeshm are three locations in southern Iran near the strategically critical Strait of Hormuz. Roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil supply transits through it daily.

Bahrain has hosted the US Fifth Fleet since 1995. The tiny island kingdom sits just off the coast of Saudi Arabia and across the Persian Gulf from Iran, separated from Iranian territory by only about 200 kilometers of water.

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