Iran Drone Strikes Bahrain, Vessel in Strait of Hormuz
On Saturday, 26 June 2026, Iran launched a drone attack that targeted Bahrain, while a separate commercial vessel transiting the Strait of Hormuz was also attacked. The incidents appear to be Tehran’s response to overnight U.S. airstrikes.
The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) reported that on Friday, 27 June 2026, it carried out strikes against Iranian military targets, specifically missile and drone storage facilities and coastal radar sites, in retaliation for Iran’s drone attack on a commercial ship the previous day. CENTCOM described the U.S. operation as calibrated to protect freedom of navigation in the Strait while preserving diplomatic space.
Iran’s foreign ministry stated that it struck targets linked to U.S. forces in retaliation for the American airstrikes, which it claimed violated the United Nations Charter and the war‑ending memorandum between the two countries. No specific locations or target details were disclosed.
Bahrain’s Foreign Ministry condemned the drone barrage, calling it “a flagrant threat to the security of citizens and residents.” In parallel, QatarEnergy‑chartered LNG tanker Umm Slal reversed its course near the Strait of Hormuz, underscoring heightened concerns over energy shipments through the waterway.
Former President Donald Trump, speaking on Friday, asserted that Iran launched at least four one‑way attack drones at ships transiting the Strait, successfully hitting the upper deck of a large, expensive cargo vessel while three other drones were shot down. He posted the claim on his Truth Social platform.
The attack prompted the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to pause a coordinated large‑scale evacuation plan for more than 11,000 seafarers stranded on vessels in the Strait. The IMO had earlier announced the evacuation in cooperation with Iran, Oman, Gulf states, and the United States, but halted it after the incident because the affected vessel did not transit under the UN‑body’s evacuation framework.
According to CENTCOM, the U.S. aircraft strikes targeted Iranian missile and drone storage sites and coastal radar installations after Iran allegedly used a one‑way attack drone to hit the M/V Ever Lovely, a Singapore‑flagged cargo ship, on 25 June 2026 while it was exiting the Strait along the Omani coast.
The United States characterized the attack on the commercial vessel as an unprovoked act of aggression that violated the cease‑fire agreement and undermined freedom of navigation on one of the world’s busiest maritime trade routes. CENTCOM affirmed that U.S. forces continue to coordinate and support the safe passage of commercial vessels transiting the Strait and remain deployed in the region to ensure compliance with the cease‑fire.
A Wall Street Journal report cited warnings from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) that any attempt to cross the Strait of Hormuz along the IMO‑designated route would be “unacceptable and completely dangerous.”
Contributors: Jaiveer Shekhawat, Anuron Mitra, Simon Mugo, Roushni Nair.