Drones launched by Iran targeted Bahrain on Sunday while President Donald Trump said the United States will avoid further military escalation, choosing instead to let economic pressure run its course against Tehran, CNN reported.
The latest strikes mark the second assault in 48 hours against regional targets, following an earlier interception by Bahrain’s defense forces on Friday, according to infobae.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed responsibility for hitting an air defense radar at the Al Riffa helicopter base in Bahrain on Sunday using six drones, framing the attack as retaliation for a US airstrike against a telecommunications tower in Sirik, southern Iran, infobae reported. The Bahraini Interior Ministry issued safety warnings to residents as air defense systems neutralized the incoming apparatuses, according to infobae and CNN.
“At the request of the nations that I seek to protect, estamos siguiendo un camino un poco más largo y más civilizado,” President Trump said on Thursday.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio affirmed on Friday that further US military action against Iran is unnecessary because the economic damage inflicted on the Islamic Republic is already severe, the Reading Eagle reported. Rubio acknowledged the severity of the pressure, stating that the economic strain is difficult and extracts a heavy toll.
Iranian officials remain defiant despite domestic economic strains, including long lines at gas stations and fuel shortages that sparked protests in Bandar Abbas on Thursday, CNN reported.
Esmaeil Baghaei, spokesperson for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, dismissed the possibility of discussing nuclear details under current conditions during a press conference on Sunday, asking whether countries that facilitated attacks on Iranian soil can demand reparations while ignoring Iran’s right to self-defense, CNN reported.
“No. No estamos en esa etapa en absoluto,” Baghaei said on Sunday when asked if Iran would accept a temporary suspension of uranium enrichment.
Yemeni government forces announced their withdrawal from areas near the Bab el-Mandeb strait on Sunday to concentrate on defending their main base in Aden, France 24 reported. That retreat marks the end of a six-week government counteroffensive aimed at retaking the Red Sea coast captured by Houthi forces in September, according to France 24.
Houthi advances in Yemen and strikes against Saudi Arabia and Red Sea shipping over recent months have strengthened Iran’s hand in the broader Middle Eastern conflict, which intensified following the war launched by the United States and Israel against Tehran on February 28, France 24 reported.
