TEHRAN -- The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC)
Aerospace Force targeted a U.S. air-defense radar at Al-Riffa helicopter base in Bahrain with six drones, while the IRGC Navy announced that two oil tankers had struck naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz, resulting in a powerful explosion, fire and the sinking of one of the vessels.
In a statement released on Sunday morning, the IRGC said the drone operation was carried out as part of the second phase of a decisive response to U.S. aggression against the Islamic Republic.
The statement said the six drones successfully struck the designated radar installation, adding that the impact and explosions were heard in various parts of Bahrain.
The force hit out at Washington for attempts to divert international attention from the closure of the Strait of Hormuz through limited and indiscriminate military actions.
The IRGC cited an incident in which the U.S. used a maritime escort operation as a cover for an attempt to move oil vessels through the Strait of Hormuz despite Iran’s restrictions on navigation through the waterway.
It said that after the operation failed, Washington resorted to limited and indiscriminate military aggression to divert international attention from the continued closure of the strait.
The force warned that any further U.S. military aggression against Iran would trigger a stronger response, adding that its forces have deployed more drones in the latest phase of operations than in the previous one.
“The Strait of Hormuz is closed, and any aggression by the American enemy will be met with a harsher and more crushing response,” the statement said.
The IRGC further stressed that its response to hostile actions would be calculated and proportionate to the nature of the aggression, adding that further attacks would not go unanswered.
The announcement followed an earlier statement on Friday in which the IRGC said its Aerospace Force had destroyed a U.S. military early-warning radar in Bahrain in a precision operation.
The force described the strike as a serious warning to the United States to stop aerial provocations and attempts to smuggle oil through the Strait of Hormuz.
In a separate statement on Sunday, the IRGC Navy’s Public Relations Office announced that two oil tankers suffered powerful explosions after striking naval mines while attempting to pass through an unauthorized southern route in the Strait of Hormuz.
According to the statement, both vessels caught fire following the explosions.
The IRGC Navy said the tankers had switched off their identification, detection and positioning systems in an attempt to cross the waterway covertly, with the assistance and support of the U.S. military.
It added that the vessels struck naval mines in the designated area, causing powerful explosions and extensive fires.
One of the two vessels was identified as a supertanker carrying more than two million barrels of crude oil. According to the IRGC Navy, the tanker sank in the southern waters of the Persian Gulf following the explosion and subsequent fire.
The naval force also released footage showing explosions and the sinking of the two tankers in the Strait of Hormuz.
In its statement, the IRGC Navy warned tanker owners, shipping company managers and vessel crews against approaching restricted areas of the waterway and urged them not to disregard Iranian maritime warnings.
It also advised fishermen operating in the area to observe safety precautions and avoid the wreckage of the sunken supertanker.
The IRGC Navy said vessels violating the maritime arrangements announced by Iran and entering restricted or hazardous areas would face serious consequences.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Army Air Defense Force announced that its personnel had shot down an enemy unmanned aerial vehicle of the Orbiter 4 type in the country’s western region.
According to the announcement, the drone was intercepted and destroyed on Saturday in the heights of Nahavand in Hamadan Province.
The wreckage was discovered in the mountainous area on Sunday and transferred for specialized examination and technical investigations.