Can Iran attack the US now and how (and where) can it do it?
Iran's ambassador and permanent representative to the United Nations in Geneva Ali Bahreini told Euronews on June 19 that Tehran will attack the US if Washington 'crosses the red lines".
Most military experts agree that the most probable scenario is for Iran to attack the US military bases in the region.
The Iranian Revolutionary Guards already said on Sunday that the origin of the US aircraft 'has been identified and it is under surveillance', emphasizing that American bases in the region are 'not a source of strength, but a point of heightened vulnerability'.
Iran's proxy in Yemen, the Houthis, also said on Saturday that they would target US ships in the Red Sea if Washington participates in any potential attack against Israel in co-operation with Israel.
"We will target US ships and battleships in the Red Sea if Washington participates in the attack on Iran," the group's military spokesperson Yahya Saree said in a statement published by the group's media outlet.
The US has tens of thousands of troops stationed in the Middle East, including at permanent bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, Arab Gulf countries just across the Persian Gulf from Iran — and much closer than Israel.
Those bases have sophisticated air defences, but would have much less warning time before waves of missiles or swarms of armed drones. It also depends a lot on the number of drones and missiles used in a possible attack. Even Israel, which is several hundred kilometers further away, has been unable to stop all of the incoming fire.
Typically around 30,000 troops are based in the Middle East, and about 40,000 troops are in the region now, according to a US officials and AP.
That number surged as high as 43,000 last October in response to heightened tensions between Israel and Iran as well as continuous attacks on commercial and military ships in the Red Sea by the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen.
After June 13 when Israel first hit Iran to stop its nuclear enrichment programme, US forces in the region started taking precautionary measures, including having military dependents voluntarily leave bases, in anticipation of potential strikes and to protect personnel in case of a large-scale response from Tehran.
US targets at risk amid escalating tensions
US troops across the Middle East are on high alert as Iran and its proxies threaten retaliation and because US interests in the region were targeted in the past. One difference compared to past attacks and threats though is that Iran's proxies Hezbollah and Hamas' capabilities are much weaker since Israel decimated them after October 2023. Also, Iran has missiles, including ballistic, but not much of an aviation force owing to Western sanctions.
Al-Asad Air Base in western Iraq, the largest U.S. deployment in the country, has been a frequent target.
In 2020, after the US killed Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, Iran launched 16 missiles at American bases in Iraq; 11 hit al-Asad, wounding dozens. Attacks have continued, with drones and rockets striking the base as recently as August.
In January 2024, a drone strike on Tower 22, a small US outpost in Jordan near the Syrian border, killed three American troops.
The drone strike was the first deadly one against US forces since the Israel-Hamas war started in October 2023. US officials have blamed the attack on the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a coalition of Iran-backed militias, including Kataib Hezbollah.
In Bahrain, the US Navy's 5th Fleet operates with around 8,000 personnel. Qatar hosts Al-Udeid Air Base, the forward headquarters of U.S. Central Command, which can accommodate up to 10,000 troops.
Camp Buehring, Ali al-Salem, and al-Dhafra are also key air bases located in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.
US diplomatic missions in Iraq and Israel have also begun evacuating staff. Officials warn embassies could be targeted alongside military bases.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on X that 'protecting US forces is our top priority,' announcing the deployment of additional forces to bolster regional defenses.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Euronews
an hour ago
- Euronews
Iran launches wave of missiles at Israel following US attack
Iran launched a wave of more than 40 missiles at northern and central Israel, leaving at least 86 people injured. The attack came just hours after Israel and the United States launched a coordinated attack on Iran, which included the bombing of three of its nuclear sites. Israel's health ministry reported that of those who arrived at hospitals, two people were moderately wounded and 77 others were in good condition. Israeli local media reported residential areas in Tel Aviv and the central town of Nes Ziona being struck. Tel Aviv's Deputy Mayor Haim Goren said that hundreds of homes were damaged in the attacks. Meanwhile in the northern city of Haifa, an IDF spokesperson said an Israeli air defence interceptor malfunctioned and crashed during the Iranian attack, causing damage and lightly wounding several people. Israel and Iran have been exchanging fire ever since Israel launched an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities on June 13. So far, at least 25 people have been killed in Israel, according to Israeli local media. In Iran, at least 430 people have been killed in Israeli strikes, according to the country's Health Ministry.
Euronews
an hour ago
- Euronews
'There is no red line that they have not crossed'
The US attacks on three nuclear sites in Iran "were carried out in coordination with the IDF." according to Israeli military spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin on Sunday. "These actions mark a crucial step in stopping the Iranian regime's aggression and its ability to pose a threat to the region and the world. The regime's ability to threaten Israel is being dismantled piece by piece," said Defrin. The US military targeted the Iranian sites of Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz early on Sunday. In a televised address from the White House, US President Donald Trump said the sites had been "completely and fully obliterated". Trump also launched dozens of missiles from submarines without congressional approval. Neither Iran nor the UN nuclear watchdog have reported immediate signs of radioactive contamination near to the targeted facilities. It was a risky move meant to weaken a longtime enemy, even as Tehran has warned of revenge attacks that could lead to a wider conflict in the region. Iranian FM says "There is no red line that they have not crossed." Hours after the attacks, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told reporters in Turkey: 'The warmongering, a lawless administration in Washington is solely and fully responsible for the dangerous consequences and far-reaching implications of its act of aggression.' He added: "They crossed a very big red line by attacking nuclear facilities". Araghchi condemned the attacks, saying that the time for diplomacy had passed and called on the UN Security Council for an emergency session. He also stated that under the principles of the UN Charter, Iran has the right to self-defence. Iran is a close ally to Russia The Iranian foreign minister plans to travel to Moscow on Monday to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin 'We enjoy a strategic partnership and we always consult with each other and coordinate our positions'. Iran and Russia are close allies, and Tehran has kept it no secret that it has been helping Russia in its war on Ukraine, notably supplying it with attack drones. Meanwhile, Israel released footage claiming their attacks struck Iranian soldiers and missile launchers. The IDF said in a statement that 'missile launchers were struck in Isfahan, Bushehr and Ahvaz". It further explained that 'Strikes were also conducted on military sites involved in the production of aerial defence batteries, the 'Third Brigade' UAV command centre, and a UAV storage facility near the command centre,'. The US' decision to join the conflict follows more than a week of Israeli strikes on Iran. Israel says its goal is to destroy the country's air defences and missile systems, while also damaging its nuclear facilities.
France 24
2 hours ago
- France 24
US says strikes 'devastated' Iran's nuclear program
The surprise strikes threaten to deepen conflict in the Middle East after Israel launched a bombing campaign against Iran, with Tehran vowing to retaliate against US involvement. But the United States said President Donald Trump wanted peace and urged Iran to end the conflict after strikes on a key underground uranium enrichment site at Fordo, along with nuclear facilities in Isfahan and Natanz. "We devastated the Iranian nuclear program," Hegseth told a Pentagon press briefing, adding that the operation "did not target Iranian troops or the Iranian people." Trump "seeks peace, and Iran should take that path", Hegseth said. "This mission was not, and has not been, about regime change." Standing beside Hegseth, top US general Dan Caine said that "it would be way too early for me to comment on what may or may not still be there." "Initial battle damage assessments indicate that all three sites sustained extremely severe damage and destruction," he told reporters. Protests in Tehran People gathered in the center of Tehran to protest against US and Israeli attacks, waving flags and chanting slogans, state TV showed. Trump claimed total success for the operation in an address to the nation hours after the attack, and Vice President JD Vance followed up on Sunday morning. "We know that we set the Iranian nuclear program back substantially last night, whether it's years or beyond," he told ABC. "We're not at war with Iran -- we're at war with Iran's nuclear program," he added. "The president took decisive action to destroy that program last night." In Tehran, AFP journalists said the roar of aircraft flying over the city was heard repeatedly for the first time since Israel's initial attacks. The UN's International Atomic Energy Agency said it had not detected any increase in radiation levels at the nuclear sites and Tehran said Sunday there were no signs of contamination. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told reporters in Istanbul the United States and Israel had "crossed a very big red line," asserting Iran would continue to defend itself "by all means necessary." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the US strikes, saying Trump's decision to "target Iran's nuclear facilities with the awesome and righteous might of the United States will change history." The Israeli military was also checking the results of the US raid on the deeply buried nuclear facility in Fordo, with a spokesman saying it was "too soon" to know if Iran had removed enriched uranium from the site. The main US strike group was seven B-2 Spirit bombers flying 18 hours from the US mainland to Iran with multiple aerial refuelings, Caine said. Global concern In response to the US attack, Iran's armed forces said they targeted multiple sites in Israel including Ben Gurion airport, the country's main international gateway near Tel Aviv. Israeli rescuers said at least 23 people were wounded. In Jerusalem, Claudio Hazan, a 62-year-old software engineer, said he hoped the US intervention would hasten an end to the Iran-Israel war. "Israel by itself would not stop... and it would take longer," he said. Israel said it had launched fresh strikes on western Iran and in Qom, south of Tehran. Iran's official IRNA news agency reported four Revolutionary Guard members were killed in strikes on a military base in the city's north. The Israeli military said it had "struck missile launchers ready to launch toward Israeli territory, soldiers in the Iranian Armed Forces, and swiftly neutralized the launchers that launched missiles toward Israeli territory." Iran's Shargh newspaper reported that a "massive explosion was heard" Sunday in Bushehr province, home to Iran's only nuclear power plant. Iranian news agencies also reported strikes in Yazd province. The United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Oman, which had been mediating Iran-US nuclear talks, criticized the US move and urged de-escalation. The European Union called on all sides "to step back," while stressing Iran must not be allowed to develop nuclear weapons. The Iranian foreign minister said he would travel to Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday. Following his address, Trump warned Iran against retaliation. Iran and its proxies have previously attacked US military bases in Iraq and elsewhere in the region. Iran's Huthi allies in Yemen on Sunday repeated their threat to resume attacks in the Red Sea if Washington joined the war, saying they were ready to target US ships and warships. The US president had stepped up his rhetoric against Iran since Israel first struck the country on June 13, repeating his insistence it could never have nuclear weapons. Tehran denies seeking an atomic bomb. On Saturday, President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran's right to pursue a civilian nuclear program "cannot be taken away... by threats or war."
