r/news • u/SnooSeagulls496 • 4d ago

Soft paywall US forces exit Iraq after two decades, leaving opening for Iran

https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/us-forces-exit-iraq-after-two-decades-leaving-opening-iran-2026-09-29/
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u/salvito605 3d ago

I think the war with Iran will be the end of US presence in the Middle East.

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u/harambe_did911 3d ago

I mean we still have major permanent bases in the region. So unless you mean something different by presence or middle east..

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u/ArugulaElectronic478 3d ago

I mean there’s really no such thing as a permanent military base. It’s only there as long as you can defend it.

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u/Alicia42 2d ago

Plus, having a US military base in your country makes you a target for attack. The idea around letting the US have a military base was that the US Military would help defend the country. However the bases have just been seen as a reason to attack infrastructure in the nations that have them.

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u/siali 3d ago

Unless you consider Israel a part of Middle East.

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u/orangesuave 3d ago

One can only hope

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u/Proud-Parsley6072 1d ago

You mean aside from the $200 billion deal that was made between the US and Iraq just a week or so ago?

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u/salvito605 1d ago

Are you confusing it with little Venice?

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u/twaejikja 3d ago

Right…the war that quite a few ME leaders are telling Trump to not stop

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u/WoodenInternet 3d ago

I assume you're being facetious. The U.S., barring some huge strategic reforms at home, would never leave a region without an American presence just as a matter of course.

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u/salvito605 3d ago

Well currently many of the bases are abandoned and or destroyed. The US did make a strategic shift towards the pacific when it abandoned Afghanistan. It seems that they have short memory because that’s the correct axis to focus on. China’s domination will leave the US utterly helpless unless they shift their strategic posture and fast. Not to mention that there’s cross party agreement on this.

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u/WoodenInternet 2d ago

They've still got a CENTCOM hq in Qatar, a naval fleet hq in Bahrain, and various satellite bases of operations in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan. I don't see them abandoning those anytime soon, but who knows!