Operation Nasr 2: IRGC Strikes US Drone Command Centre, P-8 Hangar After 5-Hour CENTCOM Mission

Iran has claimed its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) struck key US military facilities at Bahrain’s Sheikh Issa Airbase and Al Juffair Naval Base.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has claimed responsibility for a fresh round of missile and drone attacks targeting American military installations in Bahrain, saying the strikes formed part of the second phase of its retaliatory campaign against US forces in the Middle East. The announcement came within hours of US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirming that American forces had completed another large-scale offensive against military targets across southern Iran.

According to a statement carried by Iranian state media, the IRGC said it struck a US drone command and control centre at Sheikh Issa Airbase in Bahrain. The organisation also claimed it targeted an important helicopter maintenance and repair facility together with a hangar housing P-8 electronic warfare aircraft, describing the attacks as part of Operation “Nasr 2”. The claims have not been independently verified, and US authorities have not confirmed any damage at the facilities mentioned by Iran.

The IRGC further asserted that separate strikes targeted Bahrain’s Al Juffair military installation, claiming missile and drone attacks hit weapons storage facilities, a satellite communications centre and a building used by American military personnel. Iranian officials said the operation remains ongoing and warned that additional phases could follow if US military action continues.

The latest statement follows earlier Iranian claims that the IRGC had destroyed fuel and ammunition depots at a US-linked airbase in Jordan. As with previous battlefield statements issued by Tehran during the conflict, no independent evidence has yet emerged to substantiate the reported damage, and neither Washington nor Bahraini authorities have confirmed the Iranian account.

While Tehran publicised its retaliatory operation, CENTCOM announced that US forces had concluded another wave of coordinated strikes against Iranian military infrastructure at 10:15 p.m. Eastern Time on July 13. According to the command, the five-hour mission targeted facilities at Bushehr, Chah Bahar, Jask, Konarak, Abu Musa and Bandar Abbas, all located along Iran’s southern coastline.

CENTCOM said precision-guided munitions were employed against Iranian coastal defence systems, missile launch infrastructure, drone sites and maritime capabilities. The command stated that the objective was to further degrade Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping moving through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most strategically important maritime trade corridors.

The American military added that more than 50,000 US service members remain deployed across the Middle East and said forces continue to maintain a high state of readiness. “American forces remain vigilant, lethal, and ready,” CENTCOM said in its statement, signalling that further operations remain possible should regional tensions continue to escalate.

The exchange represents the latest escalation in a conflict that has increasingly expanded beyond direct strikes inside Iran to include reciprocal attacks involving US military installations across the Gulf. Although both sides continue to issue operational updates, many battlefield claims from either side remain difficult to verify independently while military operations are ongoing.