Donald Trump is moving his chess pieces following the attack on three Iranian nuclear sites

12:16 ET, 23 Jun 2025Updated 12:17 ET, 23 Jun 2025

A US F-15 Eagle takes off at Prince Sultan Air Base in al-Kharj, Saudi Arabia(Image: Getty Images)

A significant US presence has been detected at an air base in Saudi Arabia, recent satellite imagery confirms. Pictures appear to show a substantial influx of American aircraft at Prince Sultan Air Base in the Middle East.

US and allied forces have been busy at the facility over the last week or so, with the base capable of hosting at least 54 F-16 fighter jets, 22 KC-135 refuelling tankers, 11 C-130 transport aircraft, as well as several other types of aircraft that can be parked on taxiways and inside shelters.

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It comes after President Donald Trump escalated the Israel-Iran war over the weekend by launching missiles at three Iranian nuclear sites, an operation he branded a "spectacular military success". The targets, Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan, were hit in what marks a huge intensification of efforts to thwart Tehran's nuclear ambitions.

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Saudi Arabia is essentially a neighbouring country to Iran with only just shy of 2,000km of distance between them.

What separates both Middle Eastern countries are the likes of Iraq, Dubai, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates - and of course the Persian/Arabian Gulf that lies smack bang in the middle.

With retaliation not only expected but feared across the world, and especially following threats from Iranian officials of making the States "solely and fully responsible" for whatever happens next, this puts air bases like these at risk.

The US State Department has already started evacuations of Americans from Israel with more personnel from other areas expected to be pulled soon as the situation continues to worsen.

The close proximity of Prince Sultan Air Base to Iran can also be perceived as an advantage for Trump.

By congregating a load of different aircraft, should the Iranian regime seek to get justice for the bombings, the States have the potential for an almost instantaneous response.

USAF aircraft stationed at an air base in the Middle East(Image: MizarVision)

Iran said the US had crossed “a very big red line” with its risky gambit to strike the three sites with missiles and 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs.

On Monday, Iranian Gen Abdolrahim Mousavi, the chief of joint staff of armed forces, warned Washington its strikes had given Iranian forces a “free hand ” to “act against US interests and its army”.

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Gen Mousavi described the American attack as violating Iran’s sovereignty and being tantamount to invading the country, the state-run IRNA news agency reported.

In the wake of the American attacks on Iran, calls came from across the globe for de-escalation and the return to diplomacy to try and resolve the conflict.

On Monday, the European Union’s top diplomat said the bloc remained “very much focused on the diplomatic solution”.