Souda Bay

Souda Bay is a NATO naval facility on the northern coast of Crete, Greece, and one of the largest and deepest natural harbours in the Mediterranean. The United States has kept a continuous presence there since the 1970s under a run of bilateral defence agreements with Athens. It uses the base as a forward logistics, refuelling and intelligence hub for operations across the Middle East and North Africa.

The 2026 Iran war made the base a target of protest. In Athens, more than 1,300 demonstrators affiliated with the Communist Party of Greece marched under "Close Souda base" banners, part of a wider wave of protests against US-led military action. The same week, Iran's deputy foreign minister, Majid Takht-Ravanchi, said European countries joining the campaign would become "legitimate targets", and Iranian missile ranges reach Greece.

The base carries a standing tension for Greece. Athens gains a US security guarantee and economic activity from hosting it, while Greek opinion has long been uneasy about foreign military infrastructure on its soil. As the eastern Mediterranean grows more central to US power projection, every regional war tests that bargain again.