According to the Financial Times, Washington is considering reducing its military presence in the Persian Gulf after Iranian strikes exposed the vulnerability of US bases in the region.
The newspaper reported that large American installations are particularly exposed to short-range missiles and drones. As a result, US forces could be redistributed away from bases located within easy reach of such weapons.
Over the past six months, Iran has repeatedly targeted US military facilities with short-range missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles. The strikes damaged aircraft hangars, supply infrastructure, radar systems and command posts.
The White House now faces a choice between rebuilding the damaged facilities or changing the overall structure of the US military presence in the Middle East.
The Financial Times also cited an April estimate by the American Enterprise Institute, which put the cost of repairing damage at 11 US bases at around $5 billion. According to the newspaper, the Pentagon did not include those expenses in its own assessment of the cost of the war with Iran.
Earlier, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Mohsen Rezaei warned Persian Gulf states against joining US sanctions. He said Tehran could respond by striking not only oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, but also alternative routes used for oil exports.