Acting U.S. Navy Secretary Hung Cao has confirmed extensive damage to a key American naval base in Bahrain during fighting with Iran.
“They blew the hell out of Bahrain,” Cao told The Epoch Times on September 9, referring to Naval Support Activity Bahrain. The facility houses U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and the U.S. Fifth Fleet.
Satellite imagery and previous news reports had indicated extensive damage from Iranian missile strikes since the conflict began in February.
Cao’s remarks provided a direct acknowledgement from senior U.S. Navy leadership of the scale of the damage. Cao said the Navy has formed a task force to assess whether to repair the base to sustain U.S. forces in the region.
Read: Iran Attack on Jordan Base Damages US Military Aircraft
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi responded to Cao’s comments on social media. He said Iranian forces had struck the Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain and other bases supporting U.S. military operations.
Read: Russia Reportedly Aids Iran Supersonic Missile Program
Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Daryl Caudle had earlier suggested that personnel displaced from the facility would not return soon. During an August 31 town hall, he said, “We’re not getting back in there anytime soon.”
