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<a class="gmail-domain gmail-reader-domain" href="https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2025/06/22/750025/trump-reckless-aggression-against-iran-turns-us-bases-west-asia-sitting-targets">presstv.ir</a>
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<h1 class="gmail-reader-title">Trump\u2019s reckless adventurism against Iran turns US bases in West Asia into sitting targets</h1>
<div class="gmail-credits gmail-reader-credits">Presstv</div>
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<div class="gmail-reader-estimated-time">June 22, 2025</div>
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<div class="gmail-moz-reader-content gmail-reader-show-element"><div id="gmail-readability-page-1" class="gmail-page"><div><img src="cid:ii_mc7tnpr00" alt="f6944987-da2e-45ee-aaf7-deab377c1c1c.jpg" width="467" height="262"><br><p><strong>Press TV Website Staff</strong></p><p><strong>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.</strong></p><p>\u201cWe have completed our very successful
attack on the three nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and
Esfahan,\u201d he claimed.</p><p>\u201cAll planes are now outside of Iranian airspace. A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, #Fordow.\u201d</p><p>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.</p><p>Earlier, the
embattled Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had reportedly urged
Trump to intervene following heavy losses sustained in Iranian missile
and drone strikes.</p><p>In a statement issued after the attack, the
Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) denounced the strikes as a
\u201cbrutal and illegal assault\u201d and pledged to pursue legal action through
international channels.</p><p>As of now, Iran\u2019s 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\u2019s war against Iran.</p><p>In a message on Wednesday, the Leader
of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, reaffirmed
that the Iranian nation will \u201cfirmly stand against an imposed war.\u201d</p><p>\u201cThose
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,\u201d he said in response to Trump\u2019s war rhetoric.</p><p>\u201cThe Americans must understand\u2014any US military incursion will undoubtedly lead to irreversible consequences.\u201d</p><p>Now,
all options are reportedly on the table as Iran\u2019s armed forces weigh a
decisive response to the flagrant violation of both international law
and Iranian sovereignty.</p><p>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.</p><p>Unlike
the occupied Palestinian territories, US military bases across the
region are fully exposed to Iranian ballistic missiles, a fact
emphasized by Iran\u2019s senior military leadership.</p><p><strong>US bases in crosshairs</strong></p><p>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.<br> 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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p><strong>Bases as potential targets</strong></p><p><strong>Qatar:</strong></p><p>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.</p><p>US warplanes were
seen returning to this Qatari base after recent aerial aggression
against Yemen, which killed dozens of civilians, including women and
children.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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).</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p><strong>Qatar:</strong></p><p>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).</p><p>The UAE was nicknamed \u2018Little
Sparta\u2019 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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p><strong>Bahrain:</strong></p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>Ras al Khaimah Airfield is another US
military base in the UAE, which is often used for tactical aviation and
reconnaissance operations.</p><p><strong>Jordan:</strong></p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p><strong>Iraq:</strong></p><p>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).</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p><strong>Iraq:</strong></p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p><strong>Diego Garcia island</strong></p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.<br> 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.</p><p>The island base is home to about 4,000
military personnel and contractors, the vast majority of them Americans,
according to multiple reports.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.<br> 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.</p><p>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.</p><p>There is also
the possibility of launching other drones and missiles, with a slightly
shorter range than those mentioned, from various naval vessels.</p></div></div></div>
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