Iran ‘blew the hell out of’ US base in Bahrain; Trump’s Navy pick reveals scale of humiliation

Iranian attacks on a key US naval base in Bahrain caused extensive damage during months of fighting, according to President Donald Trump’s pick for Navy secretary, who has now offered one of the bluntest public assessments of what exactly happened to the American military facility.

Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao said Iranian forces “blew the hell out of Bahrain” when they repeatedly targeted Naval Support Activity Bahrain between February and June.

The unusually candid description comes as Cao, 55, awaits Senate confirmation and as the Trump administration continues to deal with the military consequences of its war with Iran. Cao made the remark during an interview with The Epoch Times’ Ryan Morgan on Wednesday, September 9.

Iran repeatedly targeted the US Navy base in Bahrain

Naval Support Activity Bahrain has long served as a key base for US Navy operations in the Middle East. The facility came under Iranian attack after US and Israeli forces launched strikes against Iran on February 28. Repeated attacks damaged parts of the base, with the extent of the destruction now acknowledged by one of the Navy's top officials.

Cao said the damage created a major operational problem for US forces, including the crew of the USS Abraham Lincoln.

The aircraft carrier's crew was left with “no place for them to pull in,” Cao said. The rusty warship made its first port stop in roughly nine months only last week, stopping in Thailand.

Cao says Navy is examining whether to return

The scale of the damage has also raised questions about whether US forces can continue using Bahrain in the same way during major deployments. Asked whether American forces should return to the damaged base to support deployments similar to the one undertaken by the USS Abraham Lincoln crew, Cao said, “I have a task force that’s looking at that.”

Satellite images showed widespread damage

A Wall Street Journal analysis published June 25, based on satellite imagery, social media footage and interviews with current and former service members, found that Iranian attacks had pummeled Naval Support Activity Bahrain.

The damage included the base's command headquarters, at least a dozen other buildings and two satellite communications terminals. Despite the scale of the destruction, no one was killed at the base.

Capt. Tim Hawkins, a spokesman for the US Central Command, told the Journal that the United States inflicted more damage on Iran than it received.

US and Iran continue striking at sea

The damage to Bahrain comes amid continued attacks involving American and Iranian forces. Over the weekend, CENTCOM said it had destroyed two Iranian oil tankers in retaliation for an attack on two US Navy warships.

CENTCOM commander Admiral Brad Cooper said, “Let the message to the IRGC be clear: If you shoot at two of our ships, we will impose an even higher economic cost—taking out three of yours,” adding, “We will not hesitate to defend American forces, and if necessary, destroy Iran’s limited and exposed oil fleet.”