US Navy says Iran severely damaged Bahrain base, hit Jordan airbase

September 11, 2026 at 03:41 PM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

Iranian strikes severely damaged the US Naval Support Activity base in Bahrain, acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao said Wednesday. Cao told The Epoch Times the Navy is evaluating whether to repair the base, which was hit repeatedly between February and June. Iranian strikes overnight Tuesday also damaged US aircraft at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan.

Key Facts

Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao said Iranian strikes "blew the hell out of Bahrain" in an interview with The Epoch Times on Wednesday.
The Wall Street Journal found the command centre and at least a dozen other buildings at NSA Bahrain were hit hard.
Admiral Daryl Caudle said earlier this month that NSA Bahrain would not resume service "anytime soon" due to the damage.
Iranian strikes overnight Tuesday hit Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, damaging multiple US military aircraft.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed on X that Iran's armed forces "blew the hell out of the 5th Fleet HQ in Bahrain."

Bahrain Base Damage

The US Naval Support Activity base in Bahrain sustained heavy damage in retaliatory strikes after the US and Israel launched air attacks across Iran in late February. The base was repeatedly targeted between February and June, according to reports. The Wall Street Journal, which analysed satellite imagery, social media footage and conducted interviews with service members, concluded that Iranian strikes caused extensive damage which the Pentagon did not immediately acknowledge. The command centre at the base and at least a dozen other buildings within the facility were hit hard, the investigation found. Cao said the Navy was evaluating what to do with the base now, including whether to repair it, and that he has a task force looking at that.

Jordan Airbase Strike

Iranian strikes overnight on Tuesday also hit the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, known as the Al-Azraq base, damaging multiple US military aircraft. The strike on the Jordanian base came amid repeated attacks by Iran on US bases across the Middle East, raising questions about whether they can be sustained.

Carrier Operations Impact

Cao said damage to the Bahrain base also affected operations involving the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, leaving the crew with "no place for them to pull in." The nearly nine-month extended deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Middle East has triggered a mental health crisis among the crew, with some sailors trying to jump overboard, according to US media reports. The carrier finally docked at Laem Chabang, Thailand, earlier this month.