US Weighs Moving Gulf Bases to Israel After Iran Damages Bahrain Site, 60% Say War Was Not Worth It
Updated
Updated · Middle East Eye · Jun 26
US Weighs Moving Gulf Bases to Israel After Iran Damages Bahrain Site, 60% Say War Was Not Worth It
3 articles · Updated · Middle East Eye · Jun 26
Summary
US officials are considering shifting some military facilities from the Gulf to Israel after Iranian strikes damaged bases earlier this year, with Bahrain slated for refurbishment and footprints in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia potentially reduced.
The review follows retaliatory attacks launched after the US-Israeli assault on Iran on Feb. 28; the Wall Street Journal said Bahrain’s naval base suffered extensive damage, including command headquarters and at least 12 other buildings.
The Pentagon has not acknowledged the reported scale of destruction, even as the US and Iran are observing a 60-day halt in fighting under the Islamabad memorandum while negotiating a permanent end to the war.
A Quinnipiac poll shows the conflict has turned politically costly: 60% of US voters say military action against Iran was not worth it, and 61% think Iran is still likely to develop nuclear weapons.
As the US moves bases to Israel for protection, does its new deal with Iran signal a strategic retreat from the Gulf?
Does the vague nuclear deal represent a genuine security victory or a face-saving exit for Washington after a costly conflict?
After a costly war, has the US handed Iran control over the world’s most critical oil chokepoint, the Strait of Hormuz?
After the February 28 Iranian Strikes: US Military Vulnerabilities, Strategic Reassessment, and the Future of American Power in the Middle East
Overview
On February 28, 2026, Iran launched major missile and drone attacks against several Middle Eastern countries hosting US troops, following earlier American and Israeli strikes on Tehran that reportedly killed at least 80 children. This marked one of the most direct confrontations between Iran and US forces in the Gulf in recent years. Bahrain was hit especially hard, with the US embassy issuing a shelter-in-place order and air-raid sirens sounding throughout the day. Despite Bahrain’s air defenses intercepting many threats, the attacks exposed significant vulnerabilities in US military positions and triggered an urgent reassessment of US strategy in the region.