As US strikes Iran, a look at American bases & assets that are now vulnerable to potential retaliation

The United States has officially dragged itself into the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict, with President Donald Trump announcing that the US has successfully struck three Iranian nuclear facilities. The sites involved in the American attack were Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan.

“All planes are now outside of Iran air airspace. A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow. All planes are safely on their way home. Congratulations to our great American Warriors. There is no other military in the World that could have done this. NOW IS THE TIME FOR PEACE! Thank you for your attention to this matter," Trump announced on TruthSocial after the completion of the operation.

While the attack garnered words of wrath from Iran, the prospect of Iranian retaliation has become extremely high. It is pertinent to note that the United States has several bases and military assets in the Middle East that might be vulnerable to Iranian retaliation. Apart from this, Iran could also hit US embassies in nearby countries such as Iraq, the United Arab Emirates or even Israel, making the conflict spill over to wider West Asia.

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Here’s a look at American infrastructure that is now vulnerable to Iranian attack:

Military bases

The following is a list of US military bases in West Asia that Iran could target in retaliation.

• Al Udeid Air Base: The American military base is situated in Qatar and is known to be the largest US military base in the Middle East.

• US Navy Fifth Fleet: The headquarters of the fleet is in Bahrain, and the area is a critical station for the US in the Persian Gulf.

• Al Asad Air Base: It was the same US base in Iraq which was targeted by Iran in 2020 following the killing of Quds Force leader Qasem Soleimani in a US air strike. The installation houses thousands of American troops and is seen as the site of the largest US deployment in the country.

• Harir Air Base: The base is situated in Erbil, Iraq and has also faced drone attacks from Iranian proxy groups.

• Al Tanf Garrison: It is located in Southern Syria near the border with 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: The air base is situated in Kuwait and is about 20 miles from the Iraqi border, and houses members of the Air Force’s 386th Air Expeditionary Wing

• Al Dhafra Air Base: The base is located in the United Arab Emirates, and the installation is home to the Air Force’s 380th Air Expeditionary Wing. It operates F-22 Raptor fighter jets and several kinds of surveillance planes and drones to keep track of what is happening in the region.

The Strait of Hormuz: Iran’s ‘Trump Card’

Apart from this, Iran could also hit the United States by closing the Strait of Hormuz, a critical potential chokehold where about 25 per cent of the world’s oil consumption and roughly a third of the world’s liquefied natural gas flows. It is pertinent to note that there are about 40,000 active-duty US troops stationed in the Middle East and on ships in the region, a US official told The New York Post earlier this month.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth stressed that the Pentagon is now prioritising the safety of American troops in the region. However, he has been an ardent supporter of the US actions in Iran.

“We have maximum force protection in the region at all times being maintained,” Hegseth noted during his testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee. In light of this, the Pentagon boss authorised the voluntary exit of all US military dependents from locations across the Middle East.