The estimated 40,000 American military personnel across the Middle East were on heightened alert into the night Sunday over the prospect that Iran would come through on its threat to target U.S. outposts in the region as retaliation for Saturday’s airstrikes that pounded Iranian nuclear facilities.
Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, warned that any retaliation by Iran or its proxies would be “an incredibly poor choice.” He stressed that American forces, from Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the largest U.S. military base in the region, to smaller outposts in Syria, Iraq and elsewhere, were operating under elevated force protection measures.
President Trump indicated in the hours after the U.S. strikes that there were “many targets left” in Iran “if peace does not come quickly.” The prospect of a dangerous escalation now looms because Iranian retaliation would likely trigger a more robust second wave from U.S. forces.
Under Operation Midnight Hammer, B-2 Spirit stealth bombers and at least one U.S. Navy submarine capable of launching Tomahawk cruise missiles hammered Iran’s three primary nuclear enrichment sites Saturday night to a degree that Pentagon officials say devastated Tehran’s ambition to develop atomic weapons.
Even before the start of the operation, Iranian officials threatened to make U.S. military personnel and bases targets if Mr. Trump ordered U.S. forces to join Israel’s bombing campaign. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Sunday that Tehran “reserves all options to defend its security interests and people.”
U.S. troops are stationed in at least 19 locations across several Middle Eastern countries. These include small forward outposts and large, permanent bases such as Al Udeid. Bahrain is home to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet. Kuwait hosts Camp Arifjan and Ali al-Salem Air Base, which also have many U.S. personnel.
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Other troops are stationed in Iraq and Syria as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the U.S.-led coalition working against the resurgence of the Islamic State terrorist group.
The U.S. has been quietly moving nonessential personnel, including family members and some embassy staff, out of the theater since Israel began launching strikes against targets in Iran on June 13.
The U.S. Embassy in Qatar has temporarily restricted access to Al Udeid Air Base while advising diplomatic personnel to exercise increased vigilance in light of the regional hostilities. Naval Support Activity Bahrain, headquarters for U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, was on heightened alert.
All service members living in base barracks in Bahrain were dispersed to hotels. Stars and Stripes reported that personnel not deemed mission-critical were told to limit their movement to essential activities, such as commuting to work or necessities such as medical appointments.
About 2,500 U.S. military personnel are in Iraq as part of the U.S. mission to train Iraqi forces in the fight against domestic terrorism. They are based primarily at Irbil Air Base, Al Asad Air Base, and the Union III base in Baghdad. U.S. Embassy officials in Iraq said they were aware of the increased potential for attacks against U.S. interests after Operation Midnight Hammer. The State Department has issued a “do not travel” advisory for Iraq.
Despite the attack on Iranian nuclear sites, the U.S. “does not seek war,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Sunday during a Pentagon briefing. He stressed that the U.S. strikes did not target Iranian troops or the Iranian people.
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The attack was an “incredible and overwhelming success” that obliterated Tehran’s atomic ambitions, the defense secretary said.
The mission was launched late Friday from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri and included seven B-2 Spirit bombers dropping a total of 14 30,000-pound GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator bombs. They struck the buried Fordo and Natanz nuclear sites. Tomahawk cruise missiles fired from a submarine hit targets in Isfahan, the third targeted Iranian nuclear facility.
Mr. Hegseth said the move of some B-2 bombers from their base in Missouri earlier Saturday was meant to be a decoy.
He added that the U.S. used other methods of deception, deploying fighters to protect the B-2 bombers that dropped 14 bunker-buster bombs on Iran’s most powerful nuclear site. He said all these tactics helped the U.S. drop the bombs without tipping off Iran’s fighter jets or its air missile systems.
The B-2 bombers completed several in-flight refueling operations before they entered Iranian airspace. Gen. Caine, who appeared alongside Mr. Hegseth at the Pentagon, said the bombers linked up with escort and support aircraft in a “complex, tightly timed maneuver requiring exact synchronization.”
The operation involved considerable planning and a misdirection effort that sent another group of B-2 bombers heading west over the Pacific. The deception, well reported in the media, was known only to an “extremely small number of planners and key leaders” in Washington and at U.S. Central Command headquarters in Tampa, Florida, Gen. Caine said.
Just before the B-2 strike package entered Iran, a U.S. submarine in the Central Command area launched more than two dozen Tomahawk cruise missiles. “Final battle damage assessment will take some time, but initial battle damage assessment indicates that all three sites sustained extremely severe damage and destruction,” the Joint Chiefs chairman said.
The U.S. and Israel have accused Iran of maintaining a nuclear program on the verge of developing atomic bombs, and the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency has accused Tehran of eluding international inspectors. Still, Tehran has long claimed its nuclear program is only for peaceful purposes, such as medical research and electricity generation.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian condemned the U.S. airstrikes.
“This aggression showed that the United States is the primary instigator of the Zionist regime’s hostile actions against the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Mr. Pezeshkian said. “Although they initially tried to deny their role, after our armed forces’ decisive and deterrent response and the Zionist regime’s clear incapacity, they were inevitably forced to enter the field themselves.”
Iranian media outlets reported explosions in the Iranian port city of Bushehr on Sunday afternoon. It was not immediately clear what caused the blasts. Bushehr is home to Iran’s only nuclear power plant, which is run with Russian assistance. Iranian authorities have not reported any problems at the plant.
The Israeli military was assessing damage from U.S. strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites, spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said.
At a press briefing, Gen. Defrin was asked whether enriched material had been removed from the Fordo site before the U.S. strike. He replied that it was too early to determine. He said the strikes were carried out in coordination with the Israeli military.
China and Russia, which many in the U.S. national security community believe are engaged in a widening military and economic alliance with Iran, have condemned the U.S. and Israeli bombing missions.
Officials in Beijing called the U.S. strikes a violation of international law and the United Nations Charter. Moscow said it was a “reckless decision” that would destabilize security in the Middle East and beyond.
Mr. Araghchi, meanwhile, was reported to be traveling to Moscow to meet with President Vladimir Putin.
The Iranian parliament approved a plan to close the Strait of Hormuz, a critical choke point between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, Iranian state-owned media reported. About a third of the world’s liquefied natural gas and almost 25% of the global oil market pass through the strait, making it a critical strategic location for international trade.
Vice President J.D. Vance said on “Meet the Press” that closing the Strait of Hormuz would be “suicidal” for the Tehran regime. “Their entire economy runs through the Strait of Hormuz. If they want to destroy their own economy and cause disruptions in the world, I think that would be their decision,” Mr. Vance said. “I don’t think it makes sense for them or anybody else.”
• This article is based in part on wire service reports.
Correction: An earlier version of this article misstated Rep. Michael McCaul’s leadership position in the House.
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.
• Guy Taylor can be reached at gtaylor@washingtontimes.com.
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