[News] Trump’s reckless adventurism against Iran turns US bases in West Asia into sitting targets

[Anti-Imperialist News]

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Trump’s reckless adventurism against Iran turns US bases in West Asia into
sitting targets
Presstv
June 22, 2025
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[image: f6944987-da2e-45ee-aaf7-deab377c1c1c.jpg]

*Press TV Website Staff*

*In a reckless escalation that has pushed American interests in the region
to the brink of catastrophe, US President Donald Trump announced Sunday
morning that American forces had launched strikes on three Iranian nuclear
sites.*

“We have completed our very successful attack on the three nuclear sites in
Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan,” he claimed.

“All planes are now outside of Iranian airspace. A full payload of BOMBS
was dropped on the primary site, #Fordow.”

The assault came after days of inflammatory rhetoric from the increasingly
erratic American president, who had repeatedly threatened direct military
action against the Islamic Republic.

Earlier, the embattled Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had
reportedly urged Trump to intervene following heavy losses sustained in
Iranian missile and drone strikes.

In a statement issued after the attack, the Atomic Energy Organization of
Iran (AEOI) denounced the strikes as a “brutal and illegal assault” and
pledged to pursue legal action through international channels.

As of now, Iran’s military leadership has yet to issue a formal response,
though all eyes are on how Tehran will react to what is a clear declaration
of war. Senior Iranian officials had previously warned the United States
against entangling itself in Israel’s war against Iran.

In a message on Wednesday, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah
Seyyed Ali Khamenei, reaffirmed that the Iranian nation will “firmly stand
against an imposed war.”

“Those with wisdom, who truly understand Iran, its people, and its long
history, never speak to this nation with the language of threats. Iran will
not yield,” he said in response to Trump’s war rhetoric.

“The Americans must understand—any US military incursion will undoubtedly
lead to irreversible consequences.”

Now, all options are reportedly on the table as Iran’s armed forces weigh a
decisive response to the flagrant violation of both international law and
Iranian sovereignty.

Attention has turned to US military bases in the region, many of which
could be potential targets for retaliation. While some reports suggest
Washington has already evacuated certain bases, several remain operational
and deeply vulnerable.

Unlike the occupied Palestinian territories, US military bases across the
region are fully exposed to Iranian ballistic missiles, a fact emphasized
by Iran’s senior military leadership.

*US bases in crosshairs*

The US has hundreds of military bases scattered across the West Asia
region, from Bahrain to the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi
Arabia, Iraq, Jordan, and beyond.
Iran has already demonstrated its military capability, particularly in the
ongoing Operation True Promise III, decimating Israeli air defense systems
and reducing to rubble many important and strategic Israeli military and
intelligence centers of the regime.

Americans also have seen it before when the Ain al-Assad base in western
Iraq was targeted with surgical precision following the assassination of
top anti-terror commander General Qassem Soleimani in an airstrike ordered
by the same American president.

The United States maintains a significant military presence in West Asia,
with numerous bases and facilities spread across multiple countries, namely
Bahrain, Cyprus, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, occupied Palestine, Oman, Qatar,
Saudi Arabia, Syria, and the UAE.

These bases serve various strategic purposes, including controlling the
global flow of oil, maintaining influence over critical chokepoints,
ensuring the survival of the Zionist entity, attempting to encircle Iran,
and subduing the Axis of Resistance.

According to some estimates, approximately 40,000 service members are
stationed in the wider region, including those on ships like aircraft
carriers and destroyers in regional waters like the Red Sea and the Gulf of
Aden.

Apart from well-established bases in Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait,
Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and the United Arab Emirates, there are also
massive bases in Djibouti and Turkey, which are also used for military
operations in West Asia.

According to various estimates, there are more than 60 American military
bases, garrisons, or shared facilities in West Asia, which have long been
used for destabilizing activities.

*Bases as potential targets*

*Qatar:*

Al Udeid Air Base (AUAB), located southwest of Doha, Qatar, is the largest
US military base in West Asia and a critical hub for air operations across
the region, including in Iraq and Syria.

US warplanes were seen returning to this Qatari base after recent aerial
aggression against Yemen, which killed dozens of civilians, including women
and children.

In 30 years of operational work, several billion dollars have been invested
in the base. It covers 50 square kilometers and contains two runways and
dozens of supporting facilities.

The base, described as the cornerstone of US military strategy in the West
Asia region, supports over 10,000 US personnel and a wide range of
aircraft, including bombers, fighters, and drones, as part of the US Air
Force's 379th Air Expeditionary Wing.

Apart from the US Air Force as the main operator, it also houses Qatar
Emiri Air Force, British Royal Air Force, and occasionally other foreign
forces.

Most importantly, it also hosts the forward headquarters of the US Central
Command (CENTCOM), one of the eleven unified combatant commands of the US
Department of Defense.

Since 2019, CENTCOM has been designated a terrorist organization by Iran, a
countermeasure against the US blacklisting of Iran's Islamic Revolution
Guards Corps (IRGC).

In recent years, during active missions and increasing regional tensions,
Washington has regularly sent B-52 Stratofortress and B-1 Lancer bombers to
this Qatari base.

The base is located 275 km from the Iranian mainland and can be targeted by
all operational Iranian ballistic missiles, even long-range rocket
artillery systems, and most available kamikaze drones.

With very few hardened exceptions, the base's hangars and other facilities
are mostly made of prefabricated materials, vulnerable to missile attacks.
The AUAB, therefore, relies on air defense systems, primarily Patriot.

Late last year, amid American threats following Iran's retaliatory attack
on the Zionist entity, top Qatari officials announced that they would not
allow this base to be used for aggression against its neighboring countries.

*Qatar:*

The US military maintains a significant presence in the UAE, with many
known and unknown bases. One of them, widely recognized and documented, is
Al Dhafra Air Base (ADAB).

The UAE was nicknamed ‘Little Sparta’ by former US generals for the value
it brings to the US. Al Dhafra Air Base, located south of Abu Dhabi, is a
major US Air Force base hosting advanced fighter jets, intelligence
aircraft, surveillance drones, and refueling tankers.

Dating back to the 1990s, it supports US military operations in the Persian
Gulf and beyond, providing air support and intelligence capabilities. The
base is also used by the UAE Air Force and the French Air Force.

ADAB hosts the US Air Force's 380th Air Expeditionary Wing, with about
5,000 active-duty military personnel, and its primary mission is aerial
refueling and high-altitude all-weather intelligence, surveillance, and
reconnaissance.

The base played a significant role in US aggressions in Afghanistan, Iraq
and Syria for years, and today is largely used for espionage activities
against Iran and its allies.

In addition to F-22 Raptor fighters, it also hosts Lockheed U-2
high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft, Boeing E-3 Sentry AWACS, and RQ-4
Global Hawk surveillance UAVs, whose activities are regular along Iranian
waters in the Persian Gulf.

It also hosts F-35A Lightning IIs (first deployed in April 2019), F-15C
Eagles, F-15E Strike Eagles, KC-10 Extenders, and MQ-9 Reaper drones with
twin runways, each 12,011 feet long.

*Bahrain:*

One of the drones took off from the Naval Support Activity base in 2019 and
carried out hostile activities in Iranian airspace over the Strait of
Hormuz, and was shot down by the 3 Khordad air defense system.

Similar to AUAB in Qatar, ADAB is located 250 km from Iranian territory and
is exposed to a wide arsenal of missiles and drones, which can easily evade
Patriot and THAAD air defense systems.

Another US military base in the UAE is Jebel Ali Port in Dubai, which is
the largest man-made harbor in the world and a critical logistical hub for
the US Navy and hosts more US Navy ship visits than any other port outside
the territory of the US, supporting the Fifth Fleet in Bahrain.

Fujairah Port and Airfield on the eastern coast near the Strait of Hormuz
is also an important base. Fujairah serves as a logistical point for US
Navy ships and has facilities leased for strategic reconnaissance aircraft
(e.g., Lockheed U-2s) and refueling planes.

Ras al Khaimah Airfield is another US military base in the UAE, which is
often used for tactical aviation and reconnaissance operations.

*Jordan:*

The US also maintains an active military presence in Jordan. While the
exact number of US military bases in Jordan is not known, some bases have
been widely written about and used for hostile American activities in the
region.

One of them is Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, which is located near Azraq and
serves as a key site for both the Royal Jordanian Air Force and US military
operations in the region.

The US has heavily invested in the upgradation of the military base,
allocating $143 million in 2018 for enhancements and an additional $265
million for infrastructure projects, including runway repairs and new
dormitories, according to reports.

While the exact number of US military personnel stationed at the base is
not publicly known, there are around 4,000 US troops present at various US
military bases in Jordan.

*Iraq:*

The US maintains a significant military presence in Kuwait under the 1991
Defense Cooperation Agreement (DCA) and the 2013 Acquisition and
Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA).

As of January 2025, according to reports, there are nearly 14,000 US
military personnel stationed at various military installations in Kuwait,
primarily at Camp Arifjan.

Camp Arifjan, located south of Kuwait, is a massive US Army base stretching
about 100 square kilometers and represents a potential target of Iranian
retaliation.

The camp serves as a forward logistics base for the US Army, supporting
operations across the region. It has pre-fabricated concrete barracks,
dining facilities, and recreational amenities, and also features the Patton
Army Heliport, supporting various aviation activities.

Other US facilities in Kuwait include Ali Al Salem Air Base, 37 kilometers
from the Iraqi border, located by the Kuwait Air Force with support from
the US Air Force.

It serves as the main site for air operations in the region. Ahmad al-Jaber
Air Base is another base that features runways approximately 3,000 meters
in length.

*Iraq:*

Although the US military presence in Iraq has lessened over the years, the
Arab country continues to be a pivot for US military operations in the
Persian Gulf region. The US military continues to have several bases in the
country, used for destabilizing activities.

One of the main bases in the country, which came under Iranian missiles in
January 2020, is Ain al-Assad, located in Al Anbar governorate and
operational since 2013.

It serves as a key hub for the US military in Iraq and is used for hostile
military missions not only in the Arab country but beyond as well.

Al-Haris base in Erbil governorate has been in operation since 2013 and
serves as a strategic military site for the occupation army for operations
across the region.Other US bases in the country include Camp Teji north of
Baghdad, Joint Security Station Falcon in the Al-Rashid district of Baghdad
and Forward Operating Base Abu Ghraib in Anbar province.

*Diego Garcia island*

Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia (NSF) is a jointly managed UK-US
military base on the British-administered atoll of Diego Garcia in the
Indian Ocean.

The strategic base was built in the 1970s by the British, after ethnically
cleansing over 2,000 of the indigenous population, and was later
significantly upgraded by the US Navy and Air Force.

The main motive for American involvement was the Islamic Revolution in
Iran, which shook their plans for complete domination over the Persian Gulf
and the world's flow of oil exports.
Washington has therefore spent hundreds of millions of dollars on an
airbase, aprons for heavy bombers, hangars, maintenance buildings, a
deep-water pier, anchorages and port facilities.

The island base is home to about 4,000 military personnel and contractors,
the vast majority of them Americans, according to multiple reports.

Housing B-1 Lancer, B-2 Spirit and B-52 Stratofortress bombers, NSF Diego
Garcia are significant as a bomber base that covers large areas of Africa,
Asia and Oceania from a relatively safe distance.

The B-2 Spirit, a bomber with long range, payload, and advanced stealth
features, is often cited as an ideal platform for delivering heavy bombs to
Iranian underground facilities.
In such a scenario, the bomber would certainly take off from the NSF Diego
Garcia, making the 3,800 km away base a target for an Iranian retaliatory
operation.

Iran possesses adequate weapons for such an attack from its mainland, such
as newer versions of the Khorramshahr missile that have an intermediate
range, and the Shahed-136B kamikaze drone with a range of 4,000 km.

There is also the possibility of launching other drones and missiles, with
a slightly shorter range than those mentioned, from various naval vessels.
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