US bases on high alert for possible retaliation after Trump’s Iran strikes

 The US has several bases and military assets in the Middle East that Iran could target in retaliation for the strikes President Trump ordered on Saturday.

Here are a few of the ones Iran may target:

• Al Udeid Air Base: The base is located in Qatar and is the largest US military base in the Middle East
• US Navy Fifth Fleet: The headquarters are in Bahrain and are a critical asset in the Persian Gulf
• Al Asad Air Base: A US base in Iraq that Iran targeted in 2020 after the killing of Quds Force leader Qasem Soleimani. The installation houses thousands of American troops and is the site of the largest US deployment in the country
• Harir Air Base: The base in Erbil, Iraq, has been on the receiving end of Iranian-proxy group drone attacks
• Al Tanf Garrison: A US military base in southern Syria, near the borders of Iraq and Jordan. An Iranian-backed militia attack on the Tower 22 outpost, just 12 miles south of Al Tanf, killed three US service members in January 2024
• Ali al-Salem Air Base: An air base in Kuwait and about 20 miles from the Iraqi border that houses members of the Air Force’s 386th Air Expeditionary Wing
• Al Dhafra Air Base: Located in the United Arab Emirates, the installation is home to the Air Force’s 380th Air Expeditionary Wing, which operates F-22 Raptor fighter jets and several kinds of surveillance planes and drones
  

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Donald Trump addresses the military audience in Qatar on May 15.AP

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Aerial view of Ain al-Asad air base in Iraq.AP

There are several other key bases and assets in the region but Iran could also hit US embassies in nearby countries such as Iraq, the United Arab Emirates or even Israel.

Although not a US asset per se, Iran could also try to close the Strait of Hormuz, a critical potential chokehold where about 25% of the world’s oil consumption and roughly a third of the world’s liquefied natural gas flows.

There are about 40,000 active-duty US troops stationed in the Middle East and on ships in the region, a US official said earlier this month. 

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stressed Wednesday that the Pentagon was prioritizing the safety of American troops in the region, while also advising Trump on Iranian strike options. 

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This satellite image from Planet Labs PBC shows Al Udeid Air Base outside of Doha, Qatar, after many aircraft on its tarmac left, Wednesday, June 18, 2025.AP

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Map depicts nuclear facilities in Iran and the ones struck by the US.Rob Jejenich / NY Post Design

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US Navy E-2C Hawkeye landing on the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower on Jan. 3, 2010.AFP/Getty Images
“We have maximum force protection in the region at all times being maintained,” Hegseth noted during his testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Earlier this month, the Pentagon chief authorized the voluntary exit of all US military dependents from locations across the Middle East. 

https://nypost.com/2025/06/21/world-news/here-are-some-of-the-us-bases-and-assets-iran-could-target/