Iran threatens to hit US bases in the Middle East: What is the threat level?

Iran connected Friday said the U.S., arsenic a "backer" of Israel, "shall beryllium held afloat accountable" for the bid of strikes Jerusalem levied overnight against Tehran, its atomic and subject facilities, and apical officials – deepening retaliatory concerns implicit U.S. bases adjacent Iran.

The U.N. Mission to Iran sent a missive to the United Nations Security Council condemning the attacks that killed 4 military commanders, 1 Iranian authoritative allegedly progressive successful the atomic talks with the U.S., and 2 atomic scientists, and said that Israel’s "conduct" successful the portion "poses a superior menace to planetary security."

But earlier this week, conscionable days up of a planned gathering betwixt Washington and Tehran successful Oman to sermon atomic negotiations, Iranian Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh threatened to deed U.S. bases successful the Middle East, should Israel erstwhile again straight onslaught the Persian nation. 

Smoke rises aft an detonation successful Tehran, Iran, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

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"Some officials connected the different broadside threaten conflict if negotiations don't travel to fruition," Nasirzadeh said, according to Reuters pursuing aboriginal reporting that Jerusalem was considering a onslaught connected Iran’s atomic facilities. "If a conflict is imposed on us … each U.S. bases are wrong our reach, and we volition boldly people them successful big countries." 

The Trump medication announced a partial evacuation of the U.S. embassy successful Iraq and authorized subject dependents to permission locations crossed the Middle East, but it remains unclear however galore Americans are expected to depart from the region. 

A representation taken connected January 13, 2020, during a property circuit organized by the US-led conjugation warring the remnants of the Islamic State group, shows US service drones astatine the Ain al-Asad airbase successful the occidental Iraqi state of Anbar.   (Ayman Henna/AFP via Getty Images)

President Donald Trump connected Thursday said the determination was made retired of an abundance of caution and told reporters "I had to bash it."

"We person a batch of American radical successful this area. And I said, we got to archer them to get retired due to the fact that thing could hap soon, and I don't privation to beryllium the 1 that didn't springiness immoderate informing and missiles are flying into their buildings," helium added successful notation to the feared subject escalation betwixt Israel and Iran.

Defense officials successful October 2024 said immoderate 40,000 work members were stationed passim the Middle East, galore of which are successful striking scope of Iran. 

President Donald Trump successful May 2025 arrives to code troops astatine the Al-Udeid aerial basal successful Qatar, which is considered the largest U.S. subject installation successful the Middle East. (Photo by Brendan Smialowsky/AFP via Getty Images)

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The U.S. subject has astatine slightest 19 sites dispersed crossed the region, 8 of which are considered to beryllium permanent, according to the Council connected Foreign Relations. 

These sites are located successful countries that borderline oregon are geographically adjacent Iran, including Bahrain, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and the United Arab Emirates. 

But Iran’s deficiency of contiguous antiaircraft effect to Israel’s Thursday nighttime strike has prompted questions implicit whether Tehran would beryllium capable to prime a combat with the U.S. and make a 3rd front. 

A United States Air Force cargo level maneuvers connected the runway aft it landed astatine the Incirlik Air Base, connected the outskirts of the metropolis of Adana, southeastern Turkey, Wednesday, July 29, 2015. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel) (The Associated Press)

"Given the information that successful January 2020, Iran launched short-range, precision onslaught ballistic missiles astatine U.S. bases successful Iraq for sidesplitting Qasem Soleimani – the regime's main violent – this is not a theoretical exercise," Iran adept with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies Benham Ben Taleblu told Fox News Digital. "The authorities has proven an quality to onshore blows astatine these bases before.

"It is possible, and it's not theoretical, fixed that the authorities has done this successful the past and lived to archer the tale," helium added. 

Ben Taleblu said helium believes that Iran, astatine this moment, is looking to marque definite the U.S. is not lone uninterested successful engaging successful nonstop struggle against Tehran, but could adjacent region itself from Israel.

U.S. Army soldiers bid astatine al-Asad aerial basal successful Western Iraq.  (Source: U.S. Army )

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"There is simply a governmental constituent to the authorities continuously threatening America, which is to effort to instrumentality vantage of the tendency for de-escalation that exists successful America," the adept added. "To effort to enactment arsenic overmuch daylight betwixt America and Israel arsenic possible, and to crook America from an state oregon spouse of Israel, into conscionable perceiver of yet different Middle East crisis. 

"This is however Tehran is politically, trying to enactment America connected the sidelines erstwhile militarily, it mightiness conflict – militarily, it would struggle," Ben Taleblu added.