Iran launched a drone attack targeting Bahrain on Saturday, while a commercial vessel in the Strait of Hormuz separately came under attack, in what appeared to be Tehran’s response to overnight US air strikes on Iranian targets.

The latest incidents have raised fears of a renewed escalation in the Gulf, despite ongoing efforts by Iran and the United States to negotiate a broader agreement aimed at ending months of conflict.

According to Bahraini authorities, several Iranian drones targeted the kingdom, which hosts the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet and has been among the strongest regional critics of Tehran.

In a statement, Bahrain’s Foreign Ministry condemned the attack as “a flagrant threat to the security of citizens and residents,” saying a number of Iranian drones had been directed at the country.

Earlier on Saturday, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it had targeted several positions belonging to what it described as the “US terrorist army” across the region.

The statement, carried by Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency, did not specify the locations targeted.

The attacks came after the United States launched fresh air strikes on Iranian targets on Friday night, saying the action was in response to an Iranian drone strike on a commercial vessel attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday.

Separately, Britain’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency reported that a tanker had come under attack in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday.

The agency said the vessel’s crew was safe and that no environmental damage had been reported.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack on the tanker, although suspicion quickly fell on Iran amid escalating hostilities in the region.

The latest exchanges have heightened concerns that the conflict could spiral further despite an interim agreement reached earlier between Tehran and Washington aimed at paving the way for a more comprehensive peace settlement.