https://harici.com.tr/tahranin-menzilindeki-abd-usleri/
US bases in the range of Tehran
US bases, which Iran can target if US President Trump puts the option of a direct attack on Iran on the agenda, are spread all over the region. It is stated that Iran warned Qatar that the US base in this country is the legitimate target.
With US President Donald Trump's direct attacks on Iran on the agenda, American bases in the Middle East faced the threat of retaliation. The Tehran administration clearly announced that it would respond quickly in case of an attack.
"If the US attacks, all US bases in the region will be targeted in our range and bravely," Iranian Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh said. Iran's religious leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei also said in a statement on social media, "If the US enters this conflict militarily, the damage it will suffer will be absolutely irreparable."
Currently, tens of thousands of American soldiers are stationed in the Middle East.
According to the compilation made by the Washington Post, the American military bases in the Middle East, which may be the target of a possible retaliation of Iran, are as follows:
In Iraq, Ayn al-Assad Air Base is located 240 kilometers west of the capital Baghdad and is in the joint use of the US and Iraqi air forces. The base, which hosts thousands of American soldiers, stands out as the largest US deployment in the country. It has been targeted many times in recent years by the militia forces in Iran and Iraq.
After the US killed Iranian General Qasim Soleimani in January 2020, Iran launched 16 missiles at this base; 11 of them hit and dozens of US soldiers were injured. During the same attack, another US base in Erbil in northern Iraq was also targeted.
Resistance organizations in Iraq last launched a missile and UAV attack on the Ayn'ul Assad base in August.
The US presence in Syria also draws attention. The Trump administration announced this month that only one of the country's 8 US bases, the Tanf Base in the south, will be protected. However, the withdrawal schedule remains uncertain. The US outpost Tower 22 in Jordan, located 20 kilometers south of Tanf, came to the fore with the incident in which three US soldiers lost their lives and dozens of them were injured in a UAV attack in January 2024.
Strategic deployments in the Persian Gulf
The largest sea power deployment in the Gulf region of the USA is the Maritime Support Facility in Bahrain. USA 5. Approximately 8 thousand 300 US soldiers serve at this base, which is the headquarters of the Fleet. Al-Udeyd Air Base in Qatar is the facility with the largest US military presence in the Middle East. Located in the southwest of Doha, the base can accommodate more than 10 thousand soldiers and serves as a forward command center for the US Central Command (CENTCOM).
Camp Buehring and Ali El-Salem Air Base in Kuwait, also Al-Dafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates, are the US Air Force's 380th Air Force. It hosts the Air Duty Wing.
According to a European official, Iranian officials this week warned Qatar that US bases will be the "legitimate target" in response to a possible US attack.
Diplomatic points and civilian threats
U.S. embassies and diplomatic missions in the region are also among the potential targets. The US has evacuated some diplomatic personnel and family members in Iraq and Israel.
It is claimed that resistance organizations in Iran can attack US personnel and interests in the region. Abu Ali al-Askeri, the security official of the Hezbollah Brigades (Ketaib Hizbollah), one of the Hashdi Shabi components, said, "American bases will turn into duck hunting... Not to mention the surprises waiting for their planes in the sky."
Following these developments, France's national airline Air France and Royal Airlines of the Netherlands (KLM) cancelled all flights to Dubai International Airport on Wednesday night. Air France cited the "security situation in the region" as the reason.
Possible attack points of the USA: Whiteman or Diego Garcia
Although the US bases around Iran have the capacity to carry out attacks, according to experts, a large-scale operation will be supported mostly from outside the region.
The US Air Force's B-2 ghost bomber is the only aircraft type that can carry “bunker-piercing” bombs that can hit targets such as Iran's underground Fordo nuclear plant. These planes can take off from Whiteman Air Base in Missouri and reach the Middle East with air-refueled flights for more than 30 hours.
On Sunday, the US deployed at least 30 refueling aircraft from the mainland to Europe.
Possible attacks can also be carried out from the Marine Support Facility located on Diego Garcia Island in the Indian Ocean. The US and British navy are carrying out a joint operation on this military island belonging to England. According to analysts, B-2 planes can reach Iran in 5-6 hours from here. The USA had previously carried out attacks against Iraq and Afghanistan from here.
The Pentagon also routed the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier to the Middle East this week. The ship will be one of two US aircraft carriers, along with the USS Carl Vinson, which is already in the region.