US moves military assets in Middle East vulnerable to Iranian attack, officials say

The US military has moved some aircraft and ships from bases in the Middle East that may be vulnerable to any potential Iranian attack, two US officials tell Reuters.

The officials, who were speaking on the condition of anonymity, say the move was part of planning to protect US forces. They decline to say how many aircraft or ships had been moved and where they would be going.

One of the officials says US naval vessels had been moved from a port in Bahrain, where the military’s 5th fleet is located, while aircraft that were not in hardened shelters had been moved from Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.

“It is not an uncommon practice. Force protection is the priority,” the official says.

Reuters was first to report this week the movement of a large number of tanker aircraft to Europe and other military assets to the Middle East, including the deployment of more fighter jets. An aircraft carrier in the Indo-Pacific is also heading to the Middle East.

It comes as US President Donald Trump keeps the world guessing whether the US will join Israel’s bombardment of Iranian nuclear and missile sites, as residents of Iran’s capital streamed out of the city on the sixth day of the air assault.