US EVACUATES HUNDREDS OF TROOPS FROM QATAR, BAHRAIN AMID IRAN TENSIONS: REPORT

Sat 21 February 2026:

Hundreds of US troops have been pulled out of the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, The New York Times reported Friday, citing anonymous Pentagon sources.

The report also said forces have been evacuated from Bahrain, where the US Navy’s 5th Fleet is based.

American forces remain stationed at bases in Iraq, Syria, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates.

The withdrawal is being interpreted as a precautionary measure amid rising tensions about a possible US. attack on Iran, with Tehran expected to respond by striking American forces in the region.

The US military’s Central Command, which covers Iran and much of the surrounding region, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In a letter Thursday to the UN secretary-general, the head of Iran’s mission to the UN said if Iran were attacked, then “all bases, facilities, and assets of the hostile force in the region would constitute legitimate targets,” and the “United States would bear full and direct responsibility for any unpredictable and uncontrolled consequences.”

Al Udeid is the largest US military base in the Middle East, hosting 10,000 troops.

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Regional officials say oil-producing Gulf countries are preparing for a possible military confrontation that they fear could spin out of control and destabilise the Middle ⁠East.

Two Israeli officials told Reuters they believe the gaps between Washington and Tehran are unbridgeable and that the chances of a near-term military escalation are high.

Some regional officials say Tehran is dangerously miscalculating by holding out for concessions, with U.S. President Donald Trump boxed in by his own military buildup – unable to scale it back without losing face if there is no firm commitment from Iran to abandon its nuclear weapons ambitions.

“Both sides are sticking to their guns,” said Alan Eyre, a former U.S. diplomat and Iran specialist, adding that nothing meaningful can emerge “unless the U.S. and Iran walk back from their red lines – which I don’t think they will.”

“What Trump can’t do is assemble all this military, and then come back with a ‘so-so’ deal and pull out the military. I think he thinks he’ll lose face,” he said. “If he attacks, it’s going to get ugly quickly.”

Iran is expected to submit a written proposal in the coming days, ⁠a U.S. ⁠official said, and Araqchi said on Friday he expected to have a draft counterproposal ready within days.

But Trump, who has sent aircraft carriers, warships and jets to the Middle East, warned Iran on Thursday it must make a deal over its nuclear program or “really bad things” will happen.

He appeared to set a deadline of 10 to 15 days, drawing a threat from Tehran to retaliate against U.S. bases in the region if attacked. The rising tensions have pushed up oil prices.

U.S. officials say Trump has yet to make up his mind about using military force although he acknowledged on Friday that he could order a limited strike to try to force Iran into a deal.

“I guess I can say I am considering that,” he told reporters.

The possible timing of an attack is unclear. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is due to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on February 28 to discuss Iran. A senior U.S. official said it would be mid-March before all U.S. forces were in place.

European and regional officials believe the scale of the U.S. deployment to the region would enable Washington to ⁠launch strikes on Iran while simultaneously defending its military bases, allies and Israel.

The core U.S. demand remains unchanged: no uranium enrichment on Iranian soil. Iran, for its part, says it must keep its nuclear capability and refuses to discuss its ballistic missiles. It denies planning to build a nuclear weapons arsenal.

If talks fail, defence analyst David Des Roches said, U.S. activity in the Gulf already signals how any strike would begin: blind Iran‘s air defence and then hit the Revolutionary Guards Navy, the force behind years of tanker attacks and threats to close the Strait of Hormuz, the route for a fifth of global oil.

But some Arab and European officials say they are unsure what Trump’s endgame is, and European governments want the U.S. to spell out what strikes would be meant to achieve – to degrade Iran’s nuclear and missile capabilities, deter escalation or pursue something more ambitious such as “regime change”.

Source: Independent Press and News Agencies

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