Iran claims strike on US radar in Bahrain as Trump rules out need for deal with Tehran

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Friday they had targeted a US early-warning radar in Bahrain, marking the first such claim of an attack on American military assets in a Gulf country since early September, as President Donald Trump said Washington no longer needed a deal with Tehran.

The Guards said the strike was carried out in retaliation for what they described as an air attack on a telecommunications tower in Iran’s southern Sirik county, in Hormozgan province, according to Iranian state media.

There was no immediate comment from the United States or Bahrain on the reported strike.

The claim comes amid a fragile lull in the conflict between Iran and the US, which began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28 and has since spread across the region. The conflict escalated into a regional confrontation, drawing in Gulf countries and threatening key international shipping routes especially the Strait of Hormuz.

The initial strikes targeted Iran’s military infrastructure, nuclear programme and ballistic missile capabilities, with Washington and Tel Aviv also calling for a change of leadership. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was assassinated in the attacks on February 28-29. His son, Mojtaba Khamenei, was subsequently appointed as his successor.

Iran has launched missile and drone attacks on US bases in Gulf states and sought to restrict shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for global oil and gas supplies. Washington, in turn, imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports.

Trump says US does not need Iran deal

Trump said on Thursday that the United States did not need an agreement with Iran, marking a shift in tone after suggesting in recent weeks that Tehran might be more willing to reach a deal following the US midterm elections.

“We don’t need a deal with Iran. Those days have long since passed,” Trump wrote on TruthSocial, referring to the Strait of Hormuz and claiming Washington had secured Iran’s money and control over the strategic waterway.

The US president also directed Vice President JD Vance to focus his “complete and total attention” on alleged crime and corruption in Democratic-run cities and states.

Trump said tackling alleged fraud could help balance the US budget.

“Our Budget could be quickly BALANCED with the correction of this large-scale criminal activity. CORRUPTION is in the Democrat Leadership’s blood!” he wrote.

Vance’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Vance’s reported Iran peace talks in doubt

Trump’s remarks came a day after The Wall Street Journal reported that Vance was considering face-to-face peace talks with a senior Iranian security official.

Such a meeting would have placed the vice president at the centre of efforts to negotiate an end to the conflict. Reuters said it had not independently confirmed the potential talks.

Vance, who is viewed as a leading contender for the 2028 Republican presidential nomination, distanced himself from the war last week following the Republicans’ losses in the midterm elections.

He partly blamed the conflict’s costs for the party’s electoral setback and said an earlier recommendation to end the war had been “sound advice”.

Trump responded by defending the military campaign as necessary to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.