Washington has decided to withdraw hundreds of troops from US military bases in Qatar and Bahrain amid rising tensions between Iran and the United States in the Middle East, the New York Times reported on Friday.
The US military has a presence in eight countries: Qatar, Bahrain, Iraq, Syria, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates. The largest of these is the Al Ubeid base in Qatar, and Bahrain is home to the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet. However, only Qatar and Bahrain are currently being withdrawn; the Pentagon has said that the withdrawal from the remaining six bases has not yet begun . There are currently 30,000 to 40,000 US troops deployed at these bases across the region.
The move comes as Iran’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Amir Saeed Iravani, warned that Tehran would consider US bases and infrastructure in the Middle East as “legitimate targets” if the US launched an aggressive campaign. The decision to withdraw troops from Qatar and Bahrain followed the letter, the report said.
Sources: New York Times, Anadolu Agency