Editor 
Military bases are, by their nature, used for aggressive purposes. This is particularly true of US bases in West Asia where the Washington warlords have pursued a hostile policy toward the Islamic Republic of Iran ever since the victory of the Islamic revolution in February 1979.
For the record, West Asia (aka the Middle East) is nearly 10,000 kms from the US mainland. The US has no business maintaining military bases in and around Iran. American military presence is the primary cause of instability in the region. These bases have been used to carry out attacks against the Islamic Republic of Iran.
America’s latest aggression against Iran was carried out on June 21 night when US planes bombed several nuclear sites in Iran in flagrant violation of international law and the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). The US navy in the Persian Gulf also fired cruise missiles at the Isfahan nuclear facility.
And during Donald Trump’s first regime, he had launched drones from Al-Udaid air base in Qatar to assassinate General Qassem Solaimani as he arrived in Baghdad just after midnight on January 3, 2020. The Quds Force commander was on a diplomatic mission. The US attack was a criminal offense at multiple levels. It was a violation of a sovereign country—Iraq—and General Solaimani was on a diplomatic mission carrying a message from the leadership in Iran for the Saudis to be delivered through the Iraqis.
The Council on Foreign Relations reported in June that the US operates both permanent and temporary bases in at least 19 locations in West Asia. The permanent bases—eight of them—are located in Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). There are also other bases further afield such as in Oman, Djibouti, Turkey, Cyprus and Greece.
With the exception of Egypt, each and everyone of these bases has been used to attack Iran. According to the Qatari regime-owned Al Jazeera, as of mid-2025, the US had about 40,000 to 50,000 troops in the region. The numbers fluctuate based on their deployment at any particular time.
The US has some 750 to 800 military bases worldwide, the largest number by far of any country. David Vine, professor of political anthropology at the American University in Washington, DC, said that as of July 2021, the US had bases in at least 80 countries.
And its military spending budget of $980.88 billion in FY 2025, is the largest of any country in the world. Further, it exceeds the total defence budgets of the next 10 countries combined. In 2025, the US Department of Defense (Offense) had total funds allocation of $2.26 trillion.
With such massive sums at its disposal, it would be reasonable to assume that the US military would win wars hands down. The reality is very different. In fact, since the end of World War Two, the US has not won a single war anywhere. And it has not fought any country alone; a number of countries are coerced into joining the US to attack a targeted country on false pretext.
From Vietnam to Afghanistan and Iraq, all have experienced American belligerence. The US has inflicted massive destruction causing millions of deaths in targeted countries. That is what armies are trained to do: kill and destroy. But the US has not won a single war. On August 31, 2021, American troops sneaked out of Afghanistan in the middle of the night never to look back.
The US had maintained several military bases in Afghanistan as well as in Pakistan during its 20-year war on Afghanistan. These were dismantled when US troops fled Kabul four years ago. There are reports that the army-dominated Pakistani regime has again provided military bases to the Americans. Imran Khan was ousted from power in April 2022 because he had said “absolutely not” to the question whether he would allow US military bases in Pakistan. The mercenary generals in Pakistan are always on the look out for an opportunity to serve their American masters. They get bakhsheesh in dollars as the country suffers.
Currently, the US maintains military bases and troops in the following countries in West Asia: Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. They have two primary functions: destabilize Iran and protect the zionist colonial entity. This was evident during the 12-day US-zionist war on Iran in June.
The major US bases in West Asia are: Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the US navy Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, Camp Arifjan in Kuwait that serves as a logistics and supply base, Al-Dhafra airbase in the UAE, and Erbil Air Base in Iraq.
Of these, Al Udeid in Qatar is the largest US military base in West Asia. Established nearly 30 years ago (1996), it hosts some 100 aircraft and drones alongwith 10,000 troops. Al Udeid serves as the forward headquarters for US Central Command (CENTCOM).
The US naval base in Bahrain houses some 9,000 naval and other military personnel. In addition to terrorizing people in the region, US troops also use Bahrain as a brothel. Shamelessness is a special characteristic of the Arabian rulers.
Camp Arifjan in Kuwait is no less notorious. Since 1999, it has served as the primary logistics, supply and command hub for US military operations in West Asia. Its primary focus is to serve the aggressive policies of the US CENTCOM.
Tiny UAE’s Al-Dhafra airbase serves as a strategic base focused on reconnaissance, intelligence gathering and supporting combat air operations. A large fleet of US aircraft from F-22 Raptor stealth fighters to various surveillance planes, including drones and AWACS are stationed there.
The Erbil Air Base in Iraq is used by US forces for air operations, particularly in northern Iraq and Syria. Ironically, while Iraq is on friendly terms with Iran, it allows its territory to be used by the US to carry out attacks against the Islamic Republic. During the US-Israeli war, both entities used Iraqi airspace to launch attacks against Iran. True, Iraq is in no position to stop these attacks but why allow US military bases on Iraqi soil at all?
The presence of US troops in these countries is a hostile act, intended primarily to undermine Iran. So far, Tehran has maintained cordial relations with all these regimes by not escalating tensions but if American troops intensify their aggressive policies vis-à-vis Iran, the latter may be forced to hit back.
The concrete and glass towers especially of Persian Gulf shaikhdoms will come crashing down. Millions of expatriates working under slave-like conditions will flee the tiny shaikhdoms and the ruling Beduoins will be back to living in tents with their camels.
If they want to survive, they must change their hostile attitude toward Islamic Iran.
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