Iran strikes Aluminium Bahrain (Alba) — IRGC claims retaliation for Iranian steel plant strikes; 2 injured

Aluminium Bahrain (Alba) confirmed via Bahrain's state news agency that its industrial facilities were targeted in an Iranian attack, sustaining damage and leaving two people mildly injured. The confirmation came alongside the IRGC's explicit statement claiming responsibility for striking both Alba and Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA/UAE) as deliberate retaliation for US-Israeli strikes that destroyed two Iranian steel plants — likely Khuzestan Steel (confirmed offline Day 28) and possibly Mobarakeh Steel (Isfahan). The IRGC's framing establishes a direct escalation ladder: Iranian industrial assets hit → Iran strikes Gulf industrial assets. Alba is a Bahraini state-owned enterprise and one of the world's largest aluminium smelters, producing approximately 1.56 million tonnes/year. The attack extends Iran's industrial targeting beyond the UAE to Bahrain, the second Gulf state to have major industrial assets directly struck in the conflict.