Iran has struck several targets across the Gulf in retaliation against a joint US-Israeli bombing campaign, plunging the Middle East into chaos.
Tehran said it would target US bases in the Middle East after Washington and Israel launched strikes on Iran on Saturday. US President Donald Trump on Saturday accused Tehran of waging an “unending campaign of bloodshed and mass murder targeting the United States”.
Blasts have since been reported in Jerusalem, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha in Qatar, and Manama in Bahrain on the third day of a conflict that has plunged the region into chaos, impacting key regional aviation and trade hubs.
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Both the UK and the US have long had military bases in numerous countries across the Middle East.
An Iranian drone struck a US navy base in Bahrain at around 7:30pm GMT (10:30pm local time) on Sunday, causing a major fire. It struck near an adjoining UK naval facility, but there were no casualties as the area had preciously been evacuated.
Kuwaiti air defences mistakenly shot down three US F15 fighter jets flying in Iran-related operations, the US military said on Monday. All six aircrew ejected safely, have been safely recovered, and are in stable condition, it said.
Meanwhile, the Cypriot government said on Monday that two unmanned drones heading towards the UK’s Akrotiri air base in Cyprus were intercepted.
Can Iran’s missiles reach US bases?
Iran has used ballistic missiles and drones to launch large-scale attacks on US allies and assets across the Gulf, which have a self-imposed range of 2,000 km (1,240 miles). It has the largest stockpile of ballistic missiles in the Middle East, according to the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
Even Iran’s short-range missiles have a range of 435 miles, which would put several US military bases within reach, according to estimates by the CSIS Missile Defense Project in the New York Times.
These include bases and military sites in Kuwait, Iraq, Qatar, Oman and the United Arab Emirates — all of which are at risk of Iranian retaliation with short-range weapons.
In the wider region, the US operates a broad network of sites across at least 19 locations, according to the Council on Foreign Relations.
Eight are permanent, including in Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Tens of thousands of US troops are stationed across the Middle East, in Arab Gulf countries just across the Persian Gulf from Iran — and much closer than Israel.
Those bases boast the same kinds of sophisticated air defences as Israel, but would have much less warning time before waves of missiles or swarms of armed drones. And even Israel, which is several hundred kilometres further away, has been unable to stop all of the incoming fire.
General Sir Richard Barrons, a former senior UK military officer, told Sky News that Iran was limited in options for manoeuvre, not least because it has lost many top leaders in the past couple of days.
Movements to fire missiles could expose the launch site to American and Israeli attacks from the air, giving Iran’s missile launchers a short life expectancy.
US officials have said in the past that Iran has depleted its medium-range stockpile, with few remaining, but it still maintains ample short-range capabilities.
Where are US and UK bases located?
Bahrain
Naval Support Activity Bahrain (NSA Bahrain) is home to the US Naval Forces Central Command and United States Fifth Fleet.
The deep-water port can America’s largest military vessels including aircraft carriers. Four anti-mine vessels, two logistical support ships and several US Coast Guard vessels have a home port in Bahrain.
Britain’s Royal Navy opened and operated the port during the 1920s, and the first US military presence was established when they joined World War 2. After the war it was recognised as a US Navy site.
Iraq
The US has a number of military bases in Iraq, including two air fields – the Al-Harir and Al Asad air bases – and dozens of camps and outposts. These bases were repeatedly targeted by pro-Iran militant groups after Israel’s invasion of Gaza in October 2023.
At the height of the US occupation of the country from 2003 until 2011, there were reportedly 170,000 US personnel stationed in 505 bases across the country.
In January 2024, the Iraqi government requested a start to negotiations on ending the US military presence in Iraq, as regional tensions grew due to the situation in Gaza. As of 29 January that year, the UK Ministry of Defence said 200 service personnel were deployed on operations there. The British Army is involved in training and supporting Iraqi and Kurdish security forces; they are not operating in a combat role.
Kuwait
Kuwait plays host to several US installations, including two air bases, alongside a number of other outposts.
Ali Al Salem Air Base is home to the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing, one of the main hubs for delivering combat support in the region. The RAF has previously used the Ali Al Salem Air Base.
Qatar
Qatar’s Al Udeid Air Base is the largest of its kind in the region, according to the Reuters news agency. It includes components of Central Command (Centcom), and elements of its air forces and special operations forces in the Middle East.
The 379th Air Expeditionary Wing, which includes “airlift, aerial refueling intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, and aeromedical evacuation assets,” AFP reports.
Al-Udeid Air Base, which is located in the desert outside the capital Doha, hosts around 10,000 US troops. It serves as the forward headquarters for US Central Command, which directs American military operations across a vast area stretching from Egypt in the west to Kazakhstan in the east.
Saudi Arabia
The Prince Sultan Air Base is a major site which hosted a large US presence during its war in Iraq, and from which the US air force still operates.
Elsewhere, the Eskan Village near Riyadh serves as a housing facility for US military personnel, largely those who are under training.
RAF personnel have been attached to the Ministry of Defence Saudi Armed Forces Projects (MODSAP) for many years; as of April 2019 there were 66 military staff based in Saudi Arabia and 35 based in the UK with MODSAP.
United Arab Emirates
Al Dahfra Air Base is home to the US 380th Air Expeditionary Wing, which has 10 aircraft squadrons and holds MQ-9 Reaper drones.
The base also hosts the Gulf Air Warfare Centre for air and missile defence training.
The RAF operates from Al Minhad Air Base, announced as a new permanent UK military facility in March 2024.
Jordan
The Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan was allocated $143 million for upgrades and expansion in 2018.
It hosts military partners including Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium, with two runways almost 10,000 feet long.
Oman
Oman has been a “strategic hub” for the UK Ministry of Defence, after the Royal Navy opened a joint logistics support base at Duqm port. The ministry has said Duqm gives the UK “a strategically important and permanent maritime base east of Suez, but outside of the Gulf”.
Cyprus
The UK has two Sovereign Base Areas in Cyprus: Akrotiri and Dhekelia.
RAF Akrotiri is the main operating base in the region, home to fast jet combat aircraft, air-to-air refuelling, air mobility, air transport, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft.
