Iran says it destroyed US military radar in Bahrain in retaliatory strike

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has claimed responsibility for destroying a US early-warning radar in Bahrain, describing it as a retaliatory strike against a US airstrike on a communications tower in Sirik overlooking the strait of Hormuz. This marks the first direct attack by Iran on US military installations in several months.

Trump's Response

Donald Trump has stated in recent media interviews that he will attack Iran only if necessary, claiming that Gulf countries such as Saudi Arabia have urged him to hold back from planned large-scale military strikes. The US president has also announced that he has asked his vice-president, JD Vance, to end his interest in negotiating a new deal with Iran.

Trump directed Vance instead to focus on corruption and fraud in Democrat-run cities and states. Vance had been seen by Iranians as the most trustworthy figure close to Trump, but they had rejected his request for a personal meeting with their negotiators to discuss peace deal terms.

Public Opinion

A UK opinion poll conducted by YouGov for the Council for Arab-British Understanding (Caabu) shows that 65% of the British public would oppose the US resuming the war in Iran, with only 14% backing it. The poll also found that 54% oppose UK bases being used by the US to mount attacks on Iran, with 29% in favour.

Support for additional UK sanctions against Iran was found to be 45%, with 22% opposed. Chris Doyle, the director of Caabu, noted that the British public are sceptical about any war on Iran and what it might achieve, particularly among 2024 Labour voters at 79%.

Nuclear Concerns

Iran's Assembly of Experts, a body of elected Islamic jurists responsible for choosing the supreme leader, has become the first governing institution in Iran to call for a review of the country's defence doctrine. The assembly has called for reviewing Iran's membership of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, describing the move as an "unavoidable necessity" and a "public and national demand".

The intervention carries religious significance as the 88-strong assembly comprises senior clerics. Iran has had a longstanding prohibition on nuclear weapons based on a fatwa by the late supreme leader Ali Khamenei, but its relevance has been questioned following US attacks on Iran.

The UN nuclear inspectorate has expressed alarm about Iran's continued lack of information about its nuclear sites, particularly regarding the Isfahan uranium enrichment facility. "We do not know the exact location of the Isfahan uranium enrichment facility or whether it contains nuclear materials," the inspectorate stated.