Iran on Sunday threatened military bases used by US forces to launch attacks on the country's nuclear sites, saying such facilities would be considered legitimate targets.

The United States has thousands of troops deployed on bases across the Middle East.

Below, AFP examines countries with major concentrations of US forces in the Middle East, which falls under the US military's Central Command (CENTCOM).

- Bahrain -

The tiny Gulf kingdom hosts an installation known as Naval Support Activity Bahrain, where the US Navy's Fifth Fleet and US Naval Forces Central Command headquarters are based.

Bahrain's deep-water port can accommodate the largest US military vessels, such as aircraft carriers, and the US Navy has used the base in the country since 1948, when the facility was operated by Britain's Royal Navy.

Several US ships have........

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