#us #iran #usiranwar What happens if the US prepares to strike Iran, but their traditional Middle Eastern allies say “no?If key nations like Qatar and Saudi Arabia deny permission for military action from their soil due to political constraints, the US has to activate its “Second Strategy.”This means bypassing the immediate region for staging the attack and instead launching from the perimeter using European bases.However, distance is the ultimate enemy in aerial warfare, which completely rewrites the tactical playbook.But Just how many bases does the US actually have in the Middle East to begin withThe US footprint is massive.There are roughly 30 to 40 military installations scattered across the Middle East, hosting around 30,000 to 40,000 troops.This includes massive hubs like Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the Naval Support Activity in Bahrain, and Al Dhafra in the UAE.Losing access to this sprawling, localized network for a strike on Iran is a logistical nightmare, which is exactly why the European backup plan is necessary.If they are denied these local bases, what is this “latest strategy” they pull out of their sleeves?The core of the new strategy is a massive logistics shift, heavily relying on the deployment of an armada of “flying gas stations.”The US has another Trick up it’s Sleves a coordinated deployment of dozens of KC-135 Stratotanker air-to-air refueling aircraft.