The United States is conducting a comprehensive review of its military footprint in the Middle East after Iranian retaliatory strikes inflicted far greater damage on American bases than the Pentagon has publicly acknowledged, according to a Wall Street Journal investigation published on 26 June. The analysis of satellite imagery, social-media footage and interviews with current and former US military personnel shows that the Naval Support Activity Bahrain—home to the Fifth Fleet—sustained severe damage to its headquarters, satellite-communication terminals, barracks and warehouses during repeated attacks between late February and June. US officials familiar with the deliberations told the newspaper that options under consideration include reducing the military presence in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, relocating some capabilities to Israel, and moving command centres underground.

Viewed from Washington, the Pentagon has emphasised force protection and operational continuity. A spokesman for US Central Command stated that out of more than 8,000 missiles and drones launched by Iran, only two strikes resulted in casualties, and that American forces struck over 13,500 targets in return. The Pentagon’s budget office confirmed that the current war-cost estimate of $29 billion does not include base reconstruction. Congressional sources expressed frustration that defence officials have not provided a precise damage assessment; when pressed, the Secretary of Defence declined to give a figure. The Journal estimated the construction cost of rebuilding damaged structures in Bahrain alone at $400 million, while the Center for Strategic and International Studies put total war-related costs, including base damage, at close to $40 billion.

Iranian official statements, carried by state-linked media, describe the strikes as part of Operation True Promise 4, launched in retaliation for the US-Israeli campaign Epic Rage that began on 28 February 2026. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed successful hits on multiple US airbases and the Fifth Fleet headquarters, using ballistic missiles and drones. Regional analysts note that the attacks demonstrated an improved Iranian ability to penetrate air-defence systems and strike fixed infrastructure across the Gulf, with more than 100 targets hit on 11 bases in seven countries, including Qatar, the UAE, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. In Bahrain, authorities responded by revoking the citizenship of 69 individuals and sentencing nine to life imprisonment for alleged collaboration with Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.

The reassessment, still in its early stages, signals a potential shift in the geography of US power projection in the region. Two US officials told the Journal that Israel is one location being examined for future basing, while other proposals involve dispersing forces more widely and hardening surviving facilities. No final decisions have been taken, and the review continues at the military command level. The Pentagon also moved in April to restrict commercial satellite imagery of damaged bases, a step officials said was necessary to protect personnel but which has limited independent verification of the full scale of destruction.