Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said Tehran would retaliate against US bases far from its borders if Washington launched another attack on the Islamic Republic.
“Any new US attacks will also be met with targeting US bases far away,” Rezaei told Lebanon-based Al Mayadeen television on November 11, according to Reuters. He specifically warned that American installations in European countries could be targeted if they were used to launch strikes against Iran.
Although Rezaei did not name any African country or military installation, the warning has implications for the continent because the US maintains military facilities and access agreements across several African states.
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Djibouti and Kenya among countries with US military facilities
Djibouti hosts Camp Lemonnier, America's principal military installation in Africa, which supports operations across the Horn of Africa and the wider Red Sea region. The US Congressional Research Service says the base serves as the headquarters of Combined Joint Task Force–Horn of Africa and supports operations around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
U.S. Army National Guard photo by SGT Lark Sine
The installation accommodates approximately 4,000 US, joint and allied military and civilian personnel, according to US Navy figures cited by the Congressional Research Service.
The security concerns are heightened by the presence of Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi movement across the strait. In September, Stars and Stripes reported that Houthi territorial advances had brought the group closer to Camp Lemonnier, with the base roughly 80 miles from Perim Island, which the militants had seized.
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Former US Africa Command chief General Michael Langley previously warned Congress that the Houthis had the capability to attack the Djibouti base cluster if they chose to escalate against Washington.
Kenya is another important part of the American military network. It hosts US forces at Manda Bay, where the two countries are expanding a runway to 10,000 feet. Kenya's Defence Ministry said in January 2026 that the project would strengthen joint operational reach, surveillance and responses to maritime threats.
Beyond Djibouti and Kenya, the US Congressional Research Service identifies military facilities or access arrangements in Somalia, Senegal, Chad and Gabon. These include locations in Baledogle, Mogadishu and Kismayo in Somalia; Captain Andalla Cissé, Thiès and Admiral Faye Gassama bases in Senegal; an installation in N'Djamena, Chad; and a cooperative security location in Libreville, Gabon.
The arrangements vary, with some providing permanent or recurring US military access rather than hosting full-fledged American bases.
For host countries, the concern is that their military partnerships and strategic locations could expose them to wider geopolitical tensions, even when they are not directly involved in a conflict.
