Iran's Araghchi cites US admission of damage to Bahrain naval base

Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said on Friday that remarks by US Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao confirmed the extent of damage to American naval facilities in Bahrain, according to a post on his X account. Araghchi wrote that Iran's armed forces had struck the Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain as well as other bases supporting what he described as US aggression, and said the American people deserve better than paying for Israel's wars.

Cao, in a September 9 interview with The Epoch Times, acknowledged extensive damage to US naval facilities in Bahrain caused by Iranian attacks. He said Iranian forces had "blow[n] the hell out of Bahrain," referring to Naval Support Activity Bahrain, which serves as the headquarters of the US Fifth Fleet. Cao also said the damage disrupted operations involving the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, stating there was "no place for them to pull in."

The remarks follow earlier open-source and satellite imagery that indicated significant damage at US facilities in Bahrain during the early stages of US-Israeli military action against Iran, which began on February 28. Adm. Daryl Caudle, the US Navy's top uniformed officer, said earlier this month that the Navy would not return to the Bahrain facility "anytime soon" because of the damage.

The statements add to the public record on the impact of the exchanges on US naval infrastructure in the region. According to Mehr News, the episode has drawn attention to the costs associated with the broader conflict and to the condition of the Fifth Fleet's principal base.