Acting U.S. Navy Secretary Says Iranian Attack Devastated Bahrain Naval Base

[Financial News] The acting Secretary of the Navy has acknowledged that a U.S. Navy base in Bahrain was devastated by an Iranian drone attack in February, drawing widespread attention.
On the 10th, acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao told conservative media outlet The Epoch Times that Iranian forces had "smashed" the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet base in Bahrain in an attack on February 28. Cao added that the attack left the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72), which had spent an extended period at sea under harsh conditions and with declining morale, unable even to dock at the base.
The remarks are being viewed as the most vivid and candid acknowledgment of the damage by a senior government official.
Experts say Iran’s military capabilities have not been weakened as much as the U.S. government claims. Trita Parsi, vice president of the Quincy Institute, said, "The U.S. government has repeatedly followed a pattern of initially denying the strategic damage caused by Iranian missile attacks and acknowledging it only weeks or even months later." He added, "This creates the illusion that the war is going better than it actually is, but contrary to official Western statements, Iran is demonstrating formidable military capabilities."
Asked about plans to return to the Bahrain base, Cao said, "We are forming a task force to review the matter."
[email protected] Yoon Jae-jun Reporter