US used mobile launchers for missiles at Qatar base as Iran tensions rose

U.S. forces in Qatar's al-Udeid, the biggest U.S. base in the Middle East, put missiles into truck launchers as tensions with Iran ratcheted up since January,

analysis of satellite images showed, meaning they could be moved more quickly.



The decision to keep the Patriot missiles in mobile trucks rather than semi-static launcher stations -- meaning they could rapidly deploy to strike or be moved defensively in case of an Iranian attack -- shows how risks heightened as frictions grew.



U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to bomb Iran over its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, its backing for allied groups in the Middle East and crushing of internal dissent, though talks to avert a war continue.