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The United States maintains a considerable military presence in the Middle East, with forces in more than a dozen countries and on ships throughout the region’s waters. That presence expanded in 2024 as the United States focused on deterring and defeating threats from Iran and its network of armed affiliates in the region, including Hamas (Gaza Strip), Hezbollah (Lebanon), the Houthis (Yemen), and several Iraq- and Syria-based militant groups. American bases in the region have now become potential targets following the U.S. strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities. Tehran has retaliated with an intercepted missile strike aimed at a U.S. military base in Qatar. Iranian state media claimed Iran had also targeted American assets in Iraq, but the Iraqi foreign ministry made no mention of this when it called the attack on Qatar “a dangerous and unprecedented turning point.”
U.S. Military Actions in the Middle East
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Since the October 2023 outbreak of war between Hamas and Israel, a U.S. ally and defense partner, U.S. forces in the Middle East have been increasingly targeted by some of these groups—and have regularly responded with counterstrikes. U.S. and coalition ships, for example, have protected merchant shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, defending against near-daily Houthi drone and missile attacks. While a ceasefire in May 2025 ended Houthi attacks on U.S. ships, experts say the threat to non-U.S. commercial vessels remains high.
The United States has also played a supporting role to Israel as its hostilities with Iran and Hezbollah have escalated. In April 2024, U.S. warplanes and ships intercepted dozens of drones and missiles fired at Israel in an unprecedented direct attack by Iran. In October of the same year, the United States announced it had sent four additional aircraft squadrons to the region. The move came as Israel commenced a ground incursion against Hezbollah in Lebanon, while Iran launched another, larger barrage of missile strikes against Israel. U.S. naval forces reportedly shot a dozen interceptors at the Iranian missiles. In March 2025, B-2 stealth bombers were also reportedly deployed from their home base in Missouri to the joint U.S.-United Kingdom base in Diego Garcia, an island part of the British Indian Ocean Territory that is within striking range of Houthi territory and Iran.
A ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah has largely been in effect since November 2024, though tensions remain high. Meanwhile, Israel has ramped up its attacks on Iran, launching an operation in June 2025 taking aim at Iran’s nuclear facilities, military sites, and top military commanders. U.S. aircraft and at least one warship that recently deployed to the Eastern Mediterranean have reportedly helped Israel shoot down retaliatory Iranian ballistic missiles.
U.S. President Donald Trump on June 21 greenlit a U.S. attack on three vital Iranian nuclear sites in an attempt to curb the country’s growing atomic program. It was the first direct U.S. attack on Iranian soil. Iran’s leadership has warned that further U.S. involvement would risk all-out war.
U.S. Forces by the Numbers
U.S. troop levels in any region can fluctuate greatly depending on the security environment, national defense priorities, and various other factors. During major operations, there were as many as 160,000 troops in Iraq in 2007, and 100,000 in Afghanistan in 2011. As of June 2025, a U.S. defense official said there were some forty thousand servicemembers in the Middle East, many on ships at sea in the region. (This is down from as many as forty-three thousand in October 2024—amid escalating tensions between Israel and Iran, as well as ongoing attacks on Red Sea ships—but still above the estimated thirty thousand that had been maintained in the region in recent years.)
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In total, the United States has military facilities across at least nineteen sites—eight of them considered to be permanent by many regional analysts—in countries including Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and the United Arab Emirates. The U.S. military also uses large bases in Djibouti and Turkey, which are part of other regional commands but often contribute significantly to U.S. operations in the Middle East.
After the United States struck Iran’s nuclear sites on June 21, Iran responded two days later by launching an attack on the Al Udeid U.S. Air Force base in Qatar. The base is home to ten thousand American troops and the forward headquarters of U.S. Central Command. Trump said on social media that Iranian officials had given advance notice of the attack to minimize harm, and he hoped to advance peace talks with Iran and Israel. Qatar said that its missile defense systems “successfully thwarted” the attack and spared any casualties, but condemned the Iranian hit and reserved the “right to respond directly.” A senior Iranian official also reportedly pledged that his country would retaliate further against the United States, but kept the door open to further diplomacy.
All host countries have basing agreements with the United States, except Syria, where U.S. forces had been opposed by the government. In May 2025, however, Syria and the United States began to normalize relations after Trump announced he would lift sanctions on the country.
Bahrain is another important base location, as it hosts the most permanently assigned U.S. personnel and is home to the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet. The navy had multiple large warship formations conducting operations in the region, but since the start of the second Trump administration, several warships have been returned to the United States to support domestic border security efforts.
The USS Harry S. Truman returned home in June after a 251-day stint in the region, while the USS Carl Vinson arrived in the Arabian Sea in March. By June, the U.S. military announced that it would send the USS Nimitz, stationed in the Indo-Pacific, to the Middle East in response to escalating tensions between Israel and Iran. The Navy also directed the destroyer USS Thomas Hudner to move east from the Western Mediterranean to be available if needed.
U.S. Forces in the Middle East: Mapping the Military Presence
The United States maintains an extensive military footprint in the Middle East, including a number of naval assets and permanent U.S. bases. Washington’s presence has allowed it to respond to regional threats, including the Yemen-based Houthi rebels and escalating Israel-Iran tensions.
Last updated June 23, 2025 4:27 pm (EST)
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Sign up to receive CFR President Mike Froman’s analysis on the most important foreign policy story of the week, delivered to your inbox every Friday afternoon. Subscribe to The World This Week.
The United States maintains a considerable military presence in the Middle East, with forces in more than a dozen countries and on ships throughout the region’s waters. That presence expanded in 2024 as the United States focused on deterring and defeating threats from Iran and its network of armed affiliates in the region, including Hamas (Gaza Strip), Hezbollah (Lebanon), the Houthis (Yemen), and several Iraq- and Syria-based militant groups. American bases in the region have now become potential targets following the U.S. strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities. Tehran has retaliated with an intercepted missile strike aimed at a U.S. military base in Qatar. Iranian state media claimed Iran had also targeted American assets in Iraq, but the Iraqi foreign ministry made no mention of this when it called the attack on Qatar “a dangerous and unprecedented turning point.”
U.S. Military Actions in the Middle East
More on:
Since the October 2023 outbreak of war between Hamas and Israel, a U.S. ally and defense partner, U.S. forces in the Middle East have been increasingly targeted by some of these groups—and have regularly responded with counterstrikes. U.S. and coalition ships, for example, have protected merchant shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, defending against near-daily Houthi drone and missile attacks. While a ceasefire in May 2025 ended Houthi attacks on U.S. ships, experts say the threat to non-U.S. commercial vessels remains high.
The United States has also played a supporting role to Israel as its hostilities with Iran and Hezbollah have escalated. In April 2024, U.S. warplanes and ships intercepted dozens of drones and missiles fired at Israel in an unprecedented direct attack by Iran. In October of the same year, the United States announced it had sent four additional aircraft squadrons to the region. The move came as Israel commenced a ground incursion against Hezbollah in Lebanon, while Iran launched another, larger barrage of missile strikes against Israel. U.S. naval forces reportedly shot a dozen interceptors at the Iranian missiles. In March 2025, B-2 stealth bombers were also reportedly deployed from their home base in Missouri to the joint U.S.-United Kingdom base in Diego Garcia, an island part of the British Indian Ocean Territory that is within striking range of Houthi territory and Iran.
A ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah has largely been in effect since November 2024, though tensions remain high. Meanwhile, Israel has ramped up its attacks on Iran, launching an operation in June 2025 taking aim at Iran’s nuclear facilities, military sites, and top military commanders. U.S. aircraft and at least one warship that recently deployed to the Eastern Mediterranean have reportedly helped Israel shoot down retaliatory Iranian ballistic missiles.
U.S. President Donald Trump on June 21 greenlit a U.S. attack on three vital Iranian nuclear sites in an attempt to curb the country’s growing atomic program. It was the first direct U.S. attack on Iranian soil. Iran’s leadership has warned that further U.S. involvement would risk all-out war.
U.S. Forces by the Numbers
U.S. troop levels in any region can fluctuate greatly depending on the security environment, national defense priorities, and various other factors. During major operations, there were as many as 160,000 troops in Iraq in 2007, and 100,000 in Afghanistan in 2011. As of June 2025, a U.S. defense official said there were some forty thousand servicemembers in the Middle East, many on ships at sea in the region. (This is down from as many as forty-three thousand in October 2024—amid escalating tensions between Israel and Iran, as well as ongoing attacks on Red Sea ships—but still above the estimated thirty thousand that had been maintained in the region in recent years.)
More on:
In total, the United States has military facilities across at least nineteen sites—eight of them considered to be permanent by many regional analysts—in countries including Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and the United Arab Emirates. The U.S. military also uses large bases in Djibouti and Turkey, which are part of other regional commands but often contribute significantly to U.S. operations in the Middle East.
After the United States struck Iran’s nuclear sites on June 21, Iran responded two days later by launching an attack on the Al Udeid U.S. Air Force base in Qatar. The base is home to ten thousand American troops and the forward headquarters of U.S. Central Command. Trump said on social media that Iranian officials had given advance notice of the attack to minimize harm, and he hoped to advance peace talks with Iran and Israel. Qatar said that its missile defense systems “successfully thwarted” the attack and spared any casualties, but condemned the Iranian hit and reserved the “right to respond directly.” A senior Iranian official also reportedly pledged that his country would retaliate further against the United States, but kept the door open to further diplomacy.
All host countries have basing agreements with the United States, except Syria, where U.S. forces had been opposed by the government. In May 2025, however, Syria and the United States began to normalize relations after Trump announced he would lift sanctions on the country.
Bahrain is another important base location, as it hosts the most permanently assigned U.S. personnel and is home to the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet. The navy had multiple large warship formations conducting operations in the region, but since the start of the second Trump administration, several warships have been returned to the United States to support domestic border security efforts.
The USS Harry S. Truman returned home in June after a 251-day stint in the region, while the USS Carl Vinson arrived in the Arabian Sea in March. By June, the U.S. military announced that it would send the USS Nimitz, stationed in the Indo-Pacific, to the Middle East in response to escalating tensions between Israel and Iran. The Navy also directed the destroyer USS Thomas Hudner to move east from the Western Mediterranean to be available if needed.
