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The following are important U.S. military bases in the Middle East.
Iran has threatened to attack U.S. bases in the region if Washington attacks Iran.
This comes after US President Donald Trump told Iranians continue to protest and announced that “help is coming.”
Here’s what we know.
Bahrain:
The headquarters of the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet is located and its jurisdiction includes the Gulf, Red Sea, Arabian Sea and parts of the Indian Ocean.
Qatar:
The 24-hectare (59-acre) al-Udeid air base in the desert outside the capital Doha is the forward headquarters of U.S. Central Command, which directs U.S. military operations in a swath of territory stretching from Egypt in the west to Kazakhstan in the east. The largest U.S. base in the Middle East is home to about 10,000 troops.
U.S. Central Command said in January that it and regional partners established a new coordination group (MEAD-CDOC) in Al-Udeid to strengthen integrated air and missile defense. The new group will improve how regional forces coordinate and share air and missile responsibilities across the Middle East, the report said.
Kuwait:
Several sprawling military installations include Camp Arifjan, U.S. Army Central Command and Ali Al-Salem Air Base, which is about 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the Iraqi border and is known as “The Rock” because of its isolated, rugged environment. According to the U.S. Army website, Camp Breen was built during the 2003 Iraq War as a staging post for U.S. Army troops deployed to Iraq and Syria.
United Arab Emirates:
According to U.S. Air Forces Central Command, Al Dhafra Air Base, located south of Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, and shared with the UAE Air Force, is an important U.S. Air Force hub supporting critical missions against the Islamic State and reconnaissance deployments in the region.
Although not an official military base, Dubai’s Jebel Ali Port is the U.S. Navy’s largest port of call in the Middle East, often hosting U.S. aircraft carriers and other ships.
Iraq:
The White House said the United States maintains a presence at Ain al-Asad air base in western Anbar province to support Iraqi security forces and contribute to NATO missions. Iran carried out a missile attack on the base in 2020 in retaliation for the U.S. killing of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani.
Erbil Air Base, located in northern Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, is a hub for U.S. and coalition forces to conduct training exercises and combat exercises. The base supports U.S. military operations by providing a secure location for training, intelligence sharing and logistics coordination in northern Iraq, according to a 2024 report from the Library of Congress.
As detailed in a 2024 Library of Congress report, it facilitates training exercises and combat exercises, providing a secure venue for military training, intelligence sharing and logistics coordination throughout the region.
Saudi Arabia:
According to a White House letter, the number of U.S. troops stationed in Saudi Arabia in 2024 will be 2,321, where they coordinate operations with the Saudi government to provide air and missile defense capabilities and support the operations of U.S. military aircraft.
Some are based at Prince Sultan Air Base, about 60 kilometers south of Riyadh, which supports U.S. Army air defense assets, including Patriot missile batteries and the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system.
Jordan:
According to the Library of Congress, Muwafak Sarti Air Base is located in Azraq, 100 kilometers northeast of the capital Amman, and is home to the U.S. Air Force’s Central 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing, which conducts missions across the Levant.
turkey:
Türkiye and the United States jointly operate Incirlik Air Base in the southern province of Adana. It possesses U.S. nuclear warheads and is used to support the international coalition fighting the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. It is also home to 1,465 U.S. military personnel stationed in Türkiye.