Pentagon eyes smaller US military presence in Gulf after Iran war: Report

The Pentagon is reassessing its military footprint in the Middle East, signaling that the Iran war could potentially reshape the US presence in the region, The Washington Post reported Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter.

According to the report, Pentagon is considering whether to reduce troops in the Gulf, where major US bases have suffered months of Iranian strikes.

The damage has created a rare opportunity to reconsider the US military posture in the region, the report said, with officials indicating that some bases may not be rebuilt in their previous form.

The review is being led by the Pentagon’s policy office, while the Joint Staff and US Central Command are also examining the issue, according to the report.

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A senior Pentagon official said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had not ordered a formal review, describing the effort instead as “prudent planning” that could help guide decisions on rebuilding damaged bases.

“Decisions are going to have to be made on some of this stuff,” the official said.

US Central Command typically maintains about 40,000 troops at nearly 20 sites stretching from Jordan to Oman. Since early this year, Washington has deployed additional warships, fighter aircraft and air defense systems to the region and carried out more than 13,000 strikes against Iran.

The largest permanent US bases in the region are concentrated in the Gulf, including the Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain and major Army and Air Force facilities in countries such as Kuwait.

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