Trump’s Reckless Adventurism Against Iran Turns US Bases in West Asia into Sitting Targets
Sunday, 22 June 2025 4:20 AM
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.
