The Iranian government strongly condemned the attack on nuclear amenities, the Foreign Minister described Abbas Araghchi as “dangerous, lawless and criminal”, and saying that Iran has the right to protect its sovereignty and interests. “This morning events are derogatory and will have permanent consequences,” Araghchi Written on x.
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned on Wednesday that American military partnership would trigger “irreparable” results in the Israeli-Iran struggle. After Sunday attacks, Iranian State Television broadcast a regional map Highlight American military bases In the Middle East, with a message, “Mr. Trump, you started it, and we will finish it.”
In the bus: Iranian state television displays a graphic of American bases in the Middle East: “Within Iran’s fire range.”
“Mr. Trump, you started it, and we will finish it.” pic.twitter.com/8culmnwag
– Colin Ragga (@Colinrugg) June 22, 2025
As the possibility of Iranian vengeance and the possibility of deepening American role in rapid deteriorating struggles, Theprint maps their position in the entire region’s wider network of American military bases and assets and their position in the unfolding conflict.
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19 military basis
In the latest available estimates, an US defense officer told the American think tank Foreign Relations Council By June 2025, around 40,000 US troops were deployed in the Middle East, Many of them are riding on naval ships working under the US Central Command (CentCom).,A significant decrease from the height of American military partnership in the region, when there was a level of trip in Iraq 160,000 in Iraq and 100,000 in Afghanistan in 2011.
The US currently maintains military facilities at less than 19 sites in the Middle East, reporting at least eight to be permanent. These establishment countries include Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria and United Arab Emirates.
While most come under the jurisdiction of Saintcom, the major basis in Djibouti and Türkiye, although part of separate regional commands, often support American military operations in the Middle East.
All these host countries mentioned above have a formal base agreement with the US with the exception of Syrians, where American deployment had long been opposed by the Bashar Assad government. However, in May 2025, diplomatic relations between the two countries began to melt, when Trump announced a plan to lift the restrictions and normalize relations.
Al Udid Air Base, Qatar
In the Middle East, the American military footsteps leads Al Udid Air Base, located in the south -west of Doha in Qatar. This base is widely considered the largest American military establishment in the region in terms of both Personnel and operational capacity.
The base estimated 10,000 US troops hosts and supports over 100 aircraft, including monitoring drones, air fuel tankers, and strategic bombers. It also acts as the forward headquarters for the Centom and Air Force Central Command, which enables the coordination of air and support operations in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan.
Al Udid’s runway can allegedly accommodate the largest aircraft of the US Army, including B -52 bombers and C -17 globalmasters, which offer it immense strategic values for long distance strikes and logistic missions. Recent satellite imagery showed a sharp decline in the number of visible aircraft on this basis, suggesting a recurrence of major assets among regional tension.
In addition, on Thursday, the US embassy in Qatar issued a security warning, temporarily banned his personnel from reaching Al Udid Air Base. The advisor enhanced vigilance between the embassy employees and American citizens in the country, citing “an abundance of caution” amid increasing regional tension.
Naval aid activity, bahrain
In Bahrain, the US Navy conducts its regional maritime command out of the Navy Assistance Activities (NSA) in the capital, capital, the capital. Built on the basis of former British Navy facility HMS tongue, Aadhaar now serves as the headquarters of the US fifth fleet.
It has been reported to support between 8,000 and 9,000 military and civil personnel, and provides command and logistics assistance for US naval operations for the Persian Gulf, Arabian Sea and Red Sea, important waterways for global energy flows and maritime trade. From this command, career strike group, submarine, disaster and maritime petrol aircraft are coordinated to ensure C lane protection and maintain a stable preventive currency in an unstable marine environment.
Currently, several US Navy ships have been homeported there, including four min counters and two logistic support ships. The US Coast Guard also maintains an appearance, allegedly conducts six sharp reaction cutters from Bahrain.
Camp Arifjan, Kuwait
In the north, the Camp serves as a major logistics and continuity center of the US Army in the Arifjan region in Kuwait. Located at a distance of about 55 kilometers in the southeast of the city of Kuwait, the Aadhaar was established in view of the Gulf War and has developed in a central transit and support point for American forces proceeding through the CentCom region of responsibility.
Aadhaar has played an important role in warehousing prey-posed military equipment, including armored vehicles and missile defense systems, while supporting command-end-control, intelligence and cyber operations that underline the regional footprint of the US Army.
Al Assad Air Base, Iraq
In the Anbar province of Western Iraq, Al Assad Air Base is one of the largest and most stronghold American military establishments in the region. Originally built by Saddam Hussein in the 1980s and captured by US forces in 2003, the base has two 13,000 feet runways which are capable of handling heavy aircraft such as C -17 Globmasters III and C -5M Super Galaxy.
At its peak during the Iraq War, Al Assad supported over 20,000 American and coalition troops, including full -scale infrastructure, including rigid aircraft shelters, radar facilities, drone launch site and logistics compounds. Today, it hosts a small contingent of the US and Iraqi forces working under a joint command, mainly focused on intelligence-sharing, quick-reaction forces and counter-ISIS monitoring missions.
Erbil Air Base, Iraq
In addition, in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, the Erbil Air Base serves as a forward operating location for American Special Operations Forces and Anti-Terrorism Mission. However, compared to Iraq’s Al Assad Air Base, the Earbil has increased in operations due to proximity to the Northeast Syria and its role in coordination with Kurdish Pesharga and Iraqi security forces.
This has been important in Aadhaar consultant, intelligence and quick-reaction missions, especially in targeting the residues of the Islamic State and monitoring the Iran-backed military activity with the Syria-Iraq corridor.
Al Dhafra Air Base, UAE
In the United Arab Emirates, the US holds a strategically significant appearance at the Al Dhafra Air Base, south of Abu Dhabi. Qatar contains small, al -Dhafra to host some of the most advanced American air assets as compared to Al Udid, including F -22 raptor stealth fighters, E -3 AWACs (airborn warning and control system), KC -10 aric fuel tankers and MC -9B reaper drones.
This base is essential for the intelligence, monitoring and reconnaissance network of the US Army, and also serves as a launch point for rapid strike missions in Gulf, Iraq and Syria.
Given its proximity to the hormuz’s watercrowded, Al Dhafra is seen as a frontline property in any possible growth related to Iran, and the US has invested enough to tighten its infrastructure there.
Insilic Air Base, Turkish
The responsibility outside the area of the US Central Command and operating under the American European Command (EUCCOM), the Insirlik Air Base in Türkiye also remains a strategically important outpost. Located near the city of Adana, just 70 km from the Syrian border, Aadhaar provides rapid access to the struggle areas in Syria and Iraq, areas where Iranian -backed militia and proxy groups maintain an important footprint.
INSIRLIC has historically supported both American and NATO operations throughout the region and has been widely reported to 50 B61 strategic atomic atomic bombs under NATO’s nuclear-sharing system.
(Edited by Mannat Chugh)
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