U.S. Withdraws Troops from Qatar, Bahrain
Personnel have been drawn down from Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar — the largest American military installation in the Middle East, home to roughly 10,000 troops — as well as from bases in Bahrain, where the US Navy's 5th Fleet maintains its regional headquarters. American forces remain deployed across Iraq, Syria, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates.
Defense analysts and officials are interpreting the repositioning as a precautionary measure, driven by credible assessments that Tehran would retaliate against American military assets across the region in the event of a US strike on Iranian soil.
Iran has made its position unambiguously clear. In a formal letter delivered Thursday to the UN secretary-general, the head of Iran's mission to the UN warned that if Iran were attacked, then "all bases, facilities, and assets of the hostile force in the region would constitute legitimate targets," and the "United States would bear full and direct responsibility for any unpredictable and uncontrolled consequences."
The US military's Central Command, the combatant command responsible for Iran and the broader surrounding region, did not respond to a request for comment at the time of publication.
The withdrawals come as Washington continues to signal escalating pressure on Tehran, with President Donald Trump confirming Friday that he is actively "considering" a limited military strike against Iran to force a new diplomatic agreement — adding urgency to what is already one of the most volatile flashpoints in the region.
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