US forces at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the largest US military base in the Middle East, have moved missiles onto mobile launchers as tensions with Iran rise, an analysis of satellite imagery shows, Reuters reported, BTA reported.
The decision to mount US Patriot missiles on mobile launchers, rather than using semi-static launchers, means they can be quickly deployed for launch or put on standby to respond in the event of an Iranian attack, underscoring the extent to which the risks of escalating tensions have increased.
US President Donald Trump threatened to bomb Iran over the Islamic Republic's nuclear and missile programs, as well as Tehran's support for regional allied groups and its brutal crackdown on protests in the country, although talks to avoid military conflict continue.
The US bases in the region include military facilities in Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Turkey, as well as the "Diego Garcia" base in the Chagos archipelago in the Indian Ocean.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps recently warned that in the event of a US attack, it would respond with strikes on US military bases in the Middle East, Reuters notes.