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Iran has threatened to attack US bases in the region if attacked by Washington, following calls by the US president for Iranian protesters to continue their protests against the regime, declaring that "help is coming".
Below are the main military bases that US forces have throughout the Middle East, as documented by Reuters.
These include air bases, naval installations, radars and advanced posts.
Bahrain : This is the headquarters of the US Navy's Fifth Fleet, whose area of responsibility includes the Gulf, the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea, and parts of the Indian Ocean.
Qatar : Al Udeid Air Base, a 59-acre desert base outside the capital Doha, is the headquarters of U.S. Central Command, which directs military operations across a vast swath of territory stretching from Egypt in the west to Kazakhstan in the east. The largest U.S. base in the Middle East is home to about 10,000 troops. U.S. Central Command said in January that it and its regional partners had opened a new coordination center (MEAD-CDOC) at Al Udeid to improve integrated air and missile defense. The new center would improve how regional forces coordinate and share air and missile responsibilities across the Middle East, it said.
Kuwait : Several large military installations include Camp Arifjan, the headquarters of U.S. Central Command, and Ali Al Salem Air Base, about 40 km from the Iraqi border and known as "the rock" for its isolated and harsh environment. Camp Buehring was established during the Iraq War in 2003 and is a staging point for U.S. Army units deployed in Iraq and Syria, according to the U.S. Army website.
United Arab Emirates : Al Dhafra Air Base, located south of the UAE capital, Abu Dhabi, and shared with the UAE Air Force, is a critical U.S. Air Force hub that has supported key missions against the Islamic State, as well as reconnaissance deployments throughout the region, according to U.S. Air Forces Central Command. Dubai's Jebel Ali Port, while not an official military base, is the largest U.S. Navy port in the Middle East and regularly hosts U.S. aircraft carriers and other ships.
Iraq : The United States maintains a presence at Ain Al Asad Air Base in western Anbar province, supporting Iraqi security forces and contributing to the NATO mission, according to the White House. Iranian missile attacks targeted the base in 2020, in retaliation for the U.S. killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani. Located in the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region in northern Iraq, Erbil Air Base serves as a hub for U.S. and coalition forces conducting training and combat exercises. The base supports U.S. military efforts by providing a secure location for training, intelligence sharing, and logistical coordination in northern Iraq, according to a 2024 Library of Congress report.
Saudi Arabia: U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia, which numbered 2,321 in 2024, according to a White House letter, operate in coordination with the Saudi government, providing air and missile defense capabilities and supporting the operation of U.S. military aircraft. Some are stationed about 60 km south of Riyadh, at Prince Sultan Air Base, which supports U.S. military air defense assets, including Patriot missiles and high-altitude terminal defense systems.
Jordan: In Azrak, 100 km northeast of the capital Amman, is Muwafaq al-Salti Air Base, which houses the 332nd Expeditionary Air Wing of the US Air Forces Central Command and participates in missions throughout the Eastern Mediterranean, according to the Library of Congress.
Turkey: Turkey and the United States jointly run Incirlik Air Base in the southern province of Adana. It houses US nuclear warheads and has been used to support the international coalition fighting Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. It also houses 1,465 US military personnel stationed in Turkey. /Adapted from Reuters /
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