Iran Nuclear Operations
Iran Takes the Fight to Bahrain — and to the Negotiating Table
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps launched coordinated missile and drone attacks against Naval Support Activity Bahrain on Friday, striking the operational nerve center of U.S. maritime power in the Persian Gulf and marking the conflict's sharpest escalation yet. The Fifth Fleet headquarters coordinates all naval operations from the Arabian Sea to the Red Sea, including the blockade that has affected nearly 1,000 transits through the Strait of Hormuz, diverted 129 ships, and disabled six vessels for non-compliance, according to U.S. Central Command.
American forces shot down four Iranian drones and struck radar sites near the strait in separate operations, while Bahrain banned its citizens from traveling to Iran and Iraq as millions of Shiite pilgrims prepare for travel season — a move that risks inflaming sectarian proxy conflicts across the region.
Tehran simultaneously announced a $25 billion nuclear cooperation agreement with Russia for the Hormoz Nuclear Power Plant project, a deal Iran's ambassador revealed publicly as U.S. peace talks remain stalled. Analysts described the timing as a deliberate signal that Iran is building economic alternatives to Western integration rather than moving toward a settlement.
President Trump, in an NBC interview, insisted Iran has 'no choice' but to reach a resolution, attributing the impasse to Iranian pride. He also confirmed calling Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu 'crazy' in a phone call, saying he was 'a little bit perturbed' by Israeli strikes on Hezbollah in Lebanon, which he said are undermining U.S.-Iran diplomacy. Hezbollah rejected the latest U.S.-brokered ceasefire proposal; strikes killed four people in Lebanon on Friday.
On Capitol Hill, the House passed a war powers resolution to end the Iran conflict while the House Armed Services Committee adopted a measure requiring the Pentagon to report senior officer removals to Congress within five days — a provision seen as a direct response to ongoing military personnel shake-ups. The Pentagon separately notified NATO of reduced U.S. participation in the alliance's rapid response force, cutting back fighter jets, bombers, and ships, as European allies sought clarification about the scope of the drawdown.