FM: Iran "blew the hell out" of 5th fleet HQ in Bahrain

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi has said Iranian forces inflicted significant damage on the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet headquarters in Bahrain during the recent conflict, citing remarks by U.S. Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao.

In a post on X, Araghchi said Iran appreciated what he described as Cao’s “candor” in acknowledging the damage caused by Iranian attacks. Araghchi also argued that U.S. taxpayers should not bear the cost of what he called Israel’s wars, Caliber.Az reports.

We appreciate the candor of Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao. Our powerful Armed Forces did indeed “blow the hell out of the 5th Fleet HQ in Bahrain,” as well as other bases supporting U.S. aggression. The American people deserve better than footing the bill for Israel’s wars. pic.twitter.com/notnk7hWUK

— Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) September 11, 2026

"Our powerful Armed Forces did indeed 'blow the hell out of the 5th Fleet HQ in Bahrain,' as well as other bases supporting U.S. aggression. The American people deserve better than footing the bill for Israel’s wars," he wrote. 

Cao, speaking in an interview with The Epoch Times, reportedly acknowledged extensive damage at Naval Support Activity Bahrain, the U.S. Navy installation that hosts the headquarters of the 5th Fleet. He said the destruction had left the crew of the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln with limited options for where to operate from.

Cao also said the Pentagon has established a working group to assess the reconstruction of the Bahrain facility once hostilities have ended.