Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao confirmed that Iranian attacks badly damaged Naval Support Activity Bahrain — headquarters of the U.S. Fifth Fleet and U.S. Naval Forces Central Command — saying Iranian forces “blew the hell out of Bahrain” in an interview with The Epoch Times conducted Sept. 9 and published Thursday.

Cao’s blunt admission is the first high-level official confirmation of the extent of combat damage to the Middle East logistics hub. Iranian forces began targeting the base after U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran began Feb. 28, Epoch Times reported. Open-source and satellite imagery had already pointed to heavy hits; until now, senior Navy leaders had largely avoided describing the scale on the record.

“They blew the hell out of Bahrain,” Cao said as he wrapped a Philadelphia shipyard visit. Asked whether the Navy needs to return to the facility to sustain high-intensity deployments, he said: “I have a task force that’s looking at that.”

Damage disrupted carrier logistics as well. Cao said the crew of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln had “no place for them to pull in,” according to the Epoch Times interview as reported by multiple outlets Friday, including the New York Post.

That matches what the Navy’s top uniformed officer already told sailors. At an Aug. 31 town hall, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle said the service is not returning to NSA Bahrain anytime soon — including to recover personal gear left behind. “We’re not getting back in there anytime soon,” Caudle said, per The Hill. “I just want to be completely honest with that.”

Iran’s foreign minister seized on the candor Friday. On X, Abbas Araghchi wrote that Tehran “appreciate[d] the candor” and claimed Iranian forces did indeed “blow the hell out of the 5th Fleet HQ in Bahrain,” as well as other bases — then pivoted to the bill: “The American people deserve better than footing the bill for Israel’s wars.” Concentrated Gulf basing and alliance wars carry concentrated costs; Cao’s on-record damage assessment and Araghchi’s taunt put that ledger in public view without needing slogans.

We appreciate the candor of Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao. Our powerful Armed Forces did indeed “blow the hell out of the 5th Fleet HQ in Bahrain,” as well as other bases supporting U.S. aggression. The American people deserve better than footing the bill for Israel’s wars.— Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) September 11, 2026

NSA Bahrain has been the Navy’s main Middle East fleet headquarters and logistics hub for years. Cao is acting secretary and was nominated Sept. 1 to take the job permanently; confirmation still faces the usual retired-officer waiver fight in Congress. For now, the operational question is simpler and uglier: whether Fifth Fleet’s home base can — or should — be rebuilt while Iranian missiles and drones keep Gulf facilities at risk.

Sources