IRGC Claims Devastating Strike on U.S. Base in Bahrain
In a statement released through the official IRNA news agency early Tuesday, March 3, 2026, the IRGC announced that its naval forces carried out the operation as the 14th wave of "Operation True Promise 4." The elite force asserted that the strike was conducted at dawn, utilizing 20 drones and three missiles to target the facility’s strategic infrastructure.
According to the IRGC’s Public Relations Department, the mission achieved significant tactical success, claiming the complete destruction of the base's main command center and headquarters. The statement further alleged that the strikes ignited massive fires in the facility’s fuel storage tanks, with thick smoke and flames reportedly visible from the site. This operation follows a series of Iranian retaliatory salvos across the Gulf region aimed at American military assets in Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates.
The escalation comes in the immediate aftermath of the February 28 assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, during joint U.S.-Israeli airstrikes on Tehran. Iranian state media confirmed Khamenei’s death on March 1, along with several high-ranking military commanders, including the chief of the IRGC and the defense minister. In response, the Iranian government has declared its intention to continue strikes until its enemies are decisively defeated, while the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) maintains that its air defenses have successfully intercepted the majority of incoming projectiles across the region.
While the IRGC has publicized the destruction of the Bahrain command center, neither the Bahraini government nor the U.S. Pentagon has officially confirmed the extent of the damage at Shaikh Isa Air Base. Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department has issued an urgent call for American citizens to immediately depart from several West Asian countries, including Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, citing the heightened safety risks as the conflict enters its fourth day.
