Iran claims drone strike on US assets at Bahrain's Sheikh Isa Air Base

Tehran: Iran's military on Thursday claimed it had carried out drone strikes targeting US facilities and assets at Bahrain's Sheikh Isa Air Base, marking the latest escalation in renewed hostilities between Tehran and Washington.

In a statement published on its official website, the Iranian army said the strikes targeted the base's power generators, navigation systems, office buildings and backup facilities. The claims could not be independently verified.

Earlier in the day, Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) said it had also launched attacks on US assets at Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait and Al-Azraq Air Base in Jordan. Tehran said the strikes were in retaliation for fresh US attacks on Iranian targets on Wednesday night.

The latest exchange of attacks follows a brief lull in fighting between the two countries.

Prior to the pause, the United States carried out multiple rounds of strikes against Iranian targets, saying the operations were intended to weaken Iran's ability to threaten commercial shipping after attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran responded with missile and drone strikes targeting US military bases and facilities across the region.

Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi urged Bulgaria and Cyprus not to allow the United States to use military bases on their territory for operations against Iran.

During a telephone conversation with Bulgarian Foreign Minister Velislava Petrova, Araghchi said Bulgaria's parliamentary approval for the deployment of US tanker aircraft at Bezmer Air Base to support what he described as "aggressive operations against Iran" violated international law and undermined friendly bilateral relations.

He cited UN General Assembly Resolution 3314, which states that making a country's territory available for acts of aggression against a third state may itself constitute an act of aggression.

Petrova said Bulgaria had no intention of participating in military action against Iran and continued to support diplomatic efforts to ease regional tensions.

In a separate conversation with Cypriot Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos, Araghchi stressed the need to prevent foreign military bases in Cyprus from being used for attacks against Iran.

Kombos said Cyprus had sought assurances from Britain that UK military bases on the island would not be used for operations against any country.

The claims by Iran regarding the strikes have not yet been confirmed by the United States or the governments of Bahrain, Kuwait or Jordan.