TEHRAN — Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi welcomed candid statements from top US Navy leadership acknowledging the extensive destruction at the American 5th Fleet headquarters in Bahrain, framing the damage as definitive proof of the impact of Iran’s retaliatory operations.  

"We appreciate the candor of Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao," Araghchi said on X. "Our powerful Armed Forces did indeed 'blow the hell out of the 5th Fleet HQ in Bahrain,' as well as other bases supporting US aggression. The American people deserve better than footing the bill for Israel’s wars."  

Araghchi's remarks followed rare public admissions from senior Pentagon officials regarding the aftermath of Iranian missile and drone strikes that targeted regional US installations after the hostilities initiated on February 28.  

Speaking in an interview with The Epoch Times on September 9, acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao offered a blunt assessment of the state of Naval Support Activity (NSA) Bahrain, stating, "They blew the hell out of Bahrain." Cao admitted that Iran’s strikes severely compromised primary logistical networks and added that a dedicated task force is currently evaluating whether the US can repair or sustain its presence at the facility.  

This assessment aligns with statements made during an August 31 Navy town hall, where Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle informed sailors displaced from the facility that the US military does not plan to return to the NSA Bahrain base "anytime soon."  

Iran’s targeted strikes following the February 28 escalations have fundamentally disrupted US military logistics across the region. The destruction at NSA Bahrain left long-deployed American naval assets, including the carrier strike group USS Abraham Lincoln, without their primary forward support hub. 

Cao explicitly noted that the devastation left the carrier crew with "no place for them to pull in," forcing the Pentagon to reroute supply lines to distant bases like Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean.  This logistical paralysis has generated acute operational strains, extended combat deployments, and compromised supply chains for US personnel throughout the Persian Gulf. 

Foreign military analysts note that the loss of forward docking and repair capabilities in Bahrain severely limits the operational readiness of American warships operating in contested waters. 

The sustained effectiveness of these defensive operations has forced a broad reassessment of Washington's forward military presence across West Asia. Former CENTCOM commander Gen. David Petraeus recently observed that traditional foreign outposts in the region are "no longer viable" due to Iran's advanced long-range missile and drone capabilities that hold fixed military infrastructure directly at risk. 

Similarly, defense consultants have pointed out that keeping troops stationed at stationary Persian Gulf bases transforms them into continuous targets. The physical destruction of NSA Bahrain—and the resulting displacement of US naval command structures—marks a fundamental shift in the geopolitical balance of the Persian Gulf. By proving that stationary military hubs can be neutralized during major hostilities, Iran's retaliatory strikes have dismantled the assumption that foreign forces can project power in West Asia without facing immediate, severe structural vulnerabilities. As Washington hesitates to rebuild its damaged infrastructure, Tehran's deterrence strategy has effectively redefined the operational landscape for foreign forces in the region.