Iran's Armed Forces Chief of Staff, Major General Ali Abdollahi, on Wednesday warned countries along the southern shores of the Persian Gulf against assisting or facilitating US military forces, saying Tehran was closely monitoring military activity at American bases across the region, according to an official statement cited by IRIB.
Abdollahi said Gulf countries that had publicly stated that they would not permit the United States to use their territories for military action against Iran should understand that Tehran was closely tracking developments in the region.
"The countries on the southern shores of the Persian Gulf, which have issued various statements declaring that they will not allow the United States to use their territories against Iran, should know that nothing is hidden from our eyes," Abdollahi said in a post on X.
He also questioned whether the presence of large numbers of US military aircraft at regional bases could take place without the knowledge of the host countries. He specifically referred to refuelling aircraft stationed at bases in the region. "It seems unlikely that this amount of military aircraft, especially refueling aircraft, would be stationed at regional bases without the knowledge of the host countries," he said.
Issuing a direct warning to Gulf states, Abdollahi said any assistance provided to US forces could be viewed by Tehran as participation in American military operations against Iran. "We warn: Any assistance or facilitation to the aggressive US army is tantamount to participation with US military forces," he added.
The warning comes as Iran continues to monitor US military movements across West Asia amid the prolonged confrontation between Tehran and Washington. Iranian officials have repeatedly warned regional countries against allowing their territory or military infrastructure to be used for operations targeting Iran.
Abdollahi was recently appointed Chief of Staff of Iran's Armed Forces by Supreme Leader and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Ayatollah Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei.
On August 10, Khamenei appointed six senior commanders to key positions in Iran's General Staff of the Armed Forces, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Basij Resistance Force. In separate decrees, Abdollahi was named Chief of Staff, while Kioumars Heydari was appointed Deputy Chief of Staff.
Meanwhile, the United States is reportedly reassessing its military presence in West Asia as the conflict with Iran continues. The Washington Post reported on Tuesday, citing eight officials familiar with the matter, that the Pentagon was evaluating its military footprint in the region with the possibility of reducing its presence.
According to the report, the assessment has not yet become a formal review. It is expected to examine several issues, including whether damaged US military bases in the region should be rebuilt and, if so, whether they should be reconstructed in their previous form.
A major issue under consideration is whether Washington should withdraw some troops from the Persian Gulf, where several US military facilities have reportedly sustained damage following months of Iranian strikes, according to people familiar with the analysis.
The Post reported that the damage has presented the Pentagon with an opportunity to reconsider the scale and structure of its military presence in the region. The Department of War has already indicated that some bases may not necessarily be rebuilt as they existed before the conflict.
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The assessment comes as the Pentagon has estimated that the cost of the war could reach approximately USD 37.5 billion by the end of September, The Washington Post reported. The estimate, however, does not include the additional expenses that could arise from rebuilding damaged military facilities across the region.
At the diplomatic level, the United States has also indicated that negotiations with Iran remain possible, although progress has slowed. Al Jazeera reported that US President Donald Trump had instructed his negotiating team to hold off on further talks until Tehran was "ready to make a deal."
A US official told the broadcaster that Washington had been engaged in "positive talks" with Iran, but Trump had decided to wait before proceeding further. The official also rejected suggestions of divisions within the administration over diplomatic engagement with Tehran, saying, "There is no conflict" in the US approach to negotiations.
The developments underline the continuing military and diplomatic uncertainty surrounding US-Iran relations, with regional Gulf states facing increasing pressure to balance their security partnerships with Washington against concerns over being drawn directly into the conflict.
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