Bahrain War

The Bahrain War, also known as the Second Gulf War or the Iran-Bahrain war, was a war between a coalition of 15 countries and Iran, following Iran's invasion and annexation of Bahrain. The war lasted for 4 months, from January 29, 2023, the date that Iran invaded Bahrain, to June 2nd, 2023, and ended with a coalition victory, with Iranian forces fully encircled and Bahrain liberated. The war originated due to increasingly strained relations between Bahrain and Iran, mainly regarding Bahrain's increased support for the United States.

The situation finally escalated once an Iranian tanker was attacked and sunk in the Persian Gulf. Iran blamed Bahrain for the attack, as it occurred within the range of Bahraini missiles- however, there isn't any other legitimate proof that Bahrain was responsible for the attacks, and it was believed that Iran staged the attacks as an excuse to invade Bahrain. Bahrain failed to resist the invasion for enough time to allow intervention from other countries, and it fell on February 7th. The invasion was immediately condemned by many countries across the world, and the United Nations organized a coalition of 15 countries to liberate Bahrain. After an extensive and successful period of naval and aerial bombardments of Iran's navy, coalition forces landed in Bahrain, and liberated it after 2 weeks of fighting on June 2nd.

Background
Sanctions against Iran had weakened its economy during the 2019-2023 Persian Gulf Crisis, due to increasing hostility from Iran. Additionally, increased disapproval of the activities of the West, specifically against the United States, had resulted in increased tensions between most countries in the Middle East and countries in that region that held more pro-American opinions, such as Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain. Bahrain's relations with Iran had become increasingly strained during the time of the outbreak of the war, due to Bahrain's pro-American stance.

Activities such as Bahrain hosting the United States Fifth Fleet at one of its naval bases brought major disapproval of Bahrain against Iran. Additionally, Iran's disapproval of Bahrain spiked significantly upon Bahrain severing diplomatic ties with Iran following attacks on Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran. Repeated attacks on Western shipping in the Persian Gulf, most of which had been blamed on Iran, along with additional issues such as the assassination of Qasem Soleimani, brought a rise of tensions in the Persian Gulf.

Outbreak of the war
On January 27, the Iranian cargo ship MV Destiny was attacked by limpet mines about 100 miles off the coast of Bahrain. Iran quickly blamed Bahrain for the attack, with the only basis of those allegations being that it occurred close to the coast of Bahrain. Bahrain denied the allegations, saying it may have been a staged attack to lower the approval of Bahrain. Days later, on January 29, Iran launched aerial attacks of Bahraini military bases. Bahrain scrambled to set up military defenses throughout the island, but Iranian aerial attacks destroyed most deployed equipment. By February 5, Iran had invaded Bahrain- it conquered it 2 days later.

Immediately following the attack on Bahrain, widespread condemnation from the international community arose. Most countries in the vicinity of Iran denounced the invasion and subsequent annexation of Bahrain, with many great powers such as China, Russia, Britain, and the U.S. calling on Iran to immediately withdraw. However, Iran refused to do so. Eventually, the United Nations called together a coalition throughout mid-February.