The United States has reportedly reduced personnel at several military bases across the Middle East amid continuing Iranian threats, as a senior official in Tehran warned that Iran is preparing for a possible joint American-Israeli attack.

American officials said the military had quietly lowered troop numbers in recent days at bases in Jordan, Qatar and Kuwait. The State Department has also reportedly directed additional reductions in diplomatic staffing.

The precautions resemble steps taken around the outbreak of the war with Iran on February 28. Officials described the latest moves as a response to Tehran’s ongoing threats.

Meanwhile, a senior Iranian security official said the regime is operating on the assumption that a combined American-Israeli strike will occur.

The official said operational commanders had been informed that, should a broader conflict involve the elimination of senior Iranian figures and civilian deaths, Tehran would consider American political targets and infrastructure in any country participating in the fighting legitimate targets for retaliation.

The official maintained that Iran already considers itself engaged in an active war with Washington, portraying the current economic, naval and air restrictions as a continuation of the military campaign that began in February.

He also claimed that pressure is growing among the Iranian public for decisive action to break the blockade, framing such action as an exercise of Iran’s right to self-defense.

The official dismissed Washington’s diplomatic statements as “meaningless” and rejected the prospect of a peaceful settlement.

He claimed Iranian leaders had concluded that American policy in the region was being dictated by Israel and that Israel would prevent a diplomatic resolution because, in his words, “for Trump, Israel comes first.”

The official said that assessment had been reinforced by Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s speech in Athens, which Tehran interpreted as casting the conflict with Iran in broader historical and civilizational terms.

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