Pentagon Keeping Bolstered Presence in Middle East in Wake of Iran Strike
July 2, 2025 | By Chris Gordon
The U.S. military is maintaining a beefed-up presence in the Middle East, including fighters and air defense assets, following the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities June 22 and subsequent retaliation by the Iranians against Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
The U.S. had moved fighters to the region as well as additional Patriot air defense units, which were shifted to Al Udeid from South Korea and Japan.
“We maintain capability across the Middle East so that the President and the Secretary of Defense have a range of military options available to defend both our citizens, our troops, our forces in the region,” Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell told reporters July 2.
The effectiveness of the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran’s nuclear program has been hotly debated. Parnell said July 2 that the U.S. military believes it has “degraded their program by one to two years, at least intel assessments inside the department assess that.”
https://www.airandspaceforces.com/us-bolstered-presence-middle-east-iran-strike/
