“Blatant aggression”: Bahrain slams Iran over missile strikes, vows to protect sovereignty

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Manama : Bahrain has vehemently denounced a fresh wave of Iranian assaults directed at its territory and neighbouring Kuwait on Saturday. It confirmed that the two Gulf nations successfully neutralised seven missiles fired by Tehran.

In an official communique, the Bahraini Ministry of Foreign Affairs charged Iran with breaching the sovereignty of both states. The ministry branded the missile operations an act of aggression.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemns the renewed attacks by the Islamic Republic of Iran against the Kingdom of Bahrain and the sisterly State of Kuwait,” the foreign ministry stated.

Characterising the hostilities as a “blatant aggression”, the ministry underlined that the offensives constituted a grave violation of international protocols. Additionally, the attacks violated the territorial sovereignty of both Gulf countries.

The diplomatic backlash follows a sharp spike in regional hostilities after reports emerged of missile interceptions across Bahrain and Kuwaiti airspace. Bahrain serves as the host of the United States Navy’s Fifth Fleet and remains on high alert. This is amid the ongoing crossfire involving Tehran and Washington.

Providing details on the military engagement, the United States military confirmed that its forces successfully intercepted several Iranian missiles. It also intercepted unmanned aerial vehicles directed at Gulf states and vital sea lanes. This represents a sharp escalation between Washington and Tehran. Furthermore, it occurs despite persistent diplomatic attempts to sustain a fragile ceasefire.

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Detailing the sequence of events, a statement released by the US Central Command (CENTCOM) on Friday noted that American forces initially downed four Iranian one-way attack drones. These drones were heading towards the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global maritime bottleneck.

CENTCOM highlighted that the drones presented an imminent hazard to regional commercial shipping. Consequently, American forces launched retaliatory strikes against Iranian coastal surveillance radar facilities located in Goruk and on Qeshm Island. The military action aimed to avert subsequent strikes on maritime assets and regional destinations.

Following those retaliatory manoeuvres, Iran launched seven ballistic missiles towards Kuwait and Bahrain later in the day, according to CENTCOM. Preliminary evaluations revealed that six of these missiles were successfully brought down. Meanwhile, the remaining seventh missile fell short of its objective.

The US military confirmed that no American personnel sustained injuries during the missile barrages.

Furthermore, CENTCOM dismissed assertions made by Tehran claiming that its strikes had successfully hit the US Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain. It flatly refuted the allegations as completely false.

(ANI)

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