Tension between the United States and Iran: Washington reinforces military preparation at its base in Qatar

U.S. forces at Al–Udeid, Qatar, the largest U.S. base in the Middle East, installed missiles on truck launchers as tensions with Iran intensified since January, according to the analysis of satellite images, which means they could be moved more quickly. The decision to keep the Patriot missiles Patriot on mobile trucks instead of semi-static launch stations — meaning they could be rapidly deployed to attack or moved defensively in the event of an Iranian attack — shows how risks increased as frictions grew. The American president, Donald Trump, has threatened to bomb Iran for its nuclear and ballistic missile programs, its support for allied groups in the Middle East and the repression of internal dissent, although talks continue to avoid a war.

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There are also US bases in Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Turkey and Diego Garcia, in the Indian Ocean. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard has warned that, in the event of attacks on Iranian territory, they could retaliate against any US base. A comparison of satellite photographs from early February with those taken in January shows a recent accumulation of aircraft and other military equipment throughout the region, said William Goodhind, a forensic imagery analyst at Contested Ground. In al-Udeid, Patriot missiles were visible stationed, mounted on Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Trucks (HEMTT) M983, in early February, Goodhind affirmed. “This decision gives the Patriots much greater mobility, which means they can be moved to an alternative site or repositioned more quickly”, he added.

It was unclear on Tuesday whether the missiles were still in the HEMTT.

A Pentagon spokesperson was not immediately available for comment. Iran claims to have replenished its missile reserves after two weeks of conflict last summer, when Israel bombed its nuclear facilities and other military targets, a campaign that the United States later joined.

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Iran has underground missile complexes near Tehran, as well as in Kermanshah, Semnan, and near the Gulf coast. The Iranian naval carrier IRIS Shahid Bagheri was visible in satellite photos on January 27 at sea, about 5 km from Bandar Abbas. It was also visible near Bandar Abbas on February 10.

The following are the observed changes in US bases in the Middle East in satellite images

Al-Udeid, Qatar

The images from February 1st showed an RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft, three C-130 Hercules aircraft, 18 KC 135 Stratotanker tankers, and seven C-17s. On January 17th, 14 Stratotanker tankers and two C-17s had been detected. Up to 10 MIM-104 Patriot air defense systems were stationed on HEMTT.

Muwaffaq, Jordan

The images from February 2 of a location in Muwaffaq showed 17 F-15-E attack aircraft, 8 A-10 Thunderbolt aircraft, four C-130s, and four unidentified helicopters. The images from January 16 were low resolution and it was not possible to identify all the aircraft there.

The images from February 2 of a second location in Muwaffaq showed a C-17 and a C-130, as well as four EA-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft. The images from that location on January 25 did not show any aircraft.

Other bases

In Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, images from February 2 showed a C-5 Galaxy and a C-17. Images from December 6 showed five aircraft that appeared to be C-130.

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Satellite imagery from February 6 showed seven more aircraft than those observed on January 31 in Diego Garcia, in the Indian Ocean. The images taken on February 25th and 10th showed an increase in the number of aircraft at the Dukhan base in Oman.