During a White House press conference on 31 July, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby underscored the US commitment to maintaining readiness to protect its security interests in West Asia. 

We have and will maintain a level of readiness to preserve our national security interests in the region. It's not like we take a blind eye to what Iran is capable of doing and has shown their capability of doing in the region.

His comments came amid spiked regional tensions, the highest since 7 October. Protecting Washington's interests in the Levant and the Persian Gulf is a top priority for the Biden administration, especially given Tel Aviv's dangerous recent provocations, including attacks and assassinations in Beirut, Tehran, and Hodeidah – inside key countries within the Axis of Resistance, which could escalate into a major conflict threatening US interests.

US militarization in West Asia

Nearly a month after the Gaza war began, the Pentagon outlined its primary goals in West Asia. These include protecting US forces and citizens, ensuring the continuous flow of critical security assistance to the occupation state, coordinating with occupation authorities to secure the release of prisoners held by Hamas, including American citizens, and bolstering the US military presence to deter any state or non-state actors from escalating the crisis further. Clearly, Washington's focus extends well beyond Gaza.

As of last October, when the Gaza war erupted following Hamas' Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, over 45,000 US troops were stationed in West Asia, spread across US military bases in about 12 countries. This number does not include the naval fleets permanently stationed in the region's many waterways.