Manama: Iran on Friday welcomed the acknowledgment by a senior US Navy official that Iranian attacks had severely damaged the headquarters of the US Navy's 5th Fleet in Bahrain.

According to Anadolu Agency, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi expressed appreciation for the candor of Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao on the US social media company X. Araghchi confirmed the Iranian Armed Forces' actions, stating, "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."

Cao reportedly acknowledged that Iranian attacks caused extensive damage to US naval facilities in Bahrain. The Epoch Times quoted Cao as saying that Iranian forces "blew the hell out of Bahrain," highlighting the rare high-level acknowledgment of the extent of damage sustained by Naval Support Activity Bahrain, headquarters of the US 5th Fleet.

Cao further detailed that the damage affected operations involving the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, resulting in a lack of docking facilities for the crew. Open-source and satellite imagery analyses had previously indicated substantial damage to US facilities in Bahrain during the Iranian attacks early in the war.

Adm. Daryl Caudle, the Navy's top uniformed officer, noted earlier this month that the service would not return to Naval Support Activity Bahrain "anytime soon" due to the extensive damage. The USS Abraham Lincoln had been on an extended deployment for nearly nine months, including about 200 days in a combat zone, before docking at Laem Chabang, Thailand, earlier this month.

The extended deployment raised concerns among lawmakers and sailors' families about food and water shortages, plumbing issues, deteriorating morale, and the mental health and self-harm risk to sailors.