Report: Iran's Far-Reaching Power Likely Closes US Military Presence in Iraq to Embarrassing Ending
Report: Iran's Far-Reaching Power Likely Closes US Military Presence in Iraq to Embarrassing Ending
TEHRAN (FNA)- President Donald Trump hasn't pulled his troops out of Iraq, despite his pledge to end America's grinding wars, but the first man in White House may be exempt from his obligation, as the US is facing the possibility of being kicked out of the war-raged country - a big win for Iran, CNN acknowledged in a report.
The Pentagon's assassination of Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Qods Force Commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleiman has once again inflamed tensions between Washington and Tehran, and drew a harsh rebuke from Baghdad, prompting the Iraqi Parliament to pass a resolution ordering US troops to leave the country.
Officials in Iraq's Parliament started a process to end the presence of foreign troops in the country, in a clear riposte to the United States after it assassinated Tehran's ellite commander in Baghdad two weeks ago.
CNN noted Tehran and Washington's influence in Iraq since the US 2003 invasion, and said "Iran is already winning", adding that "its consistent and coherent strategy, which the US lacks, has allowed Tehran to gradually weave itself into the fabric of everyday life in Iraq".
Tehran, Baghdad's important ally, has for years stressed that Iraq's territorial integrity must be preserved and all foreign troops illegally present in the conflict-plagued Arab country should leave, underlining the need for establishment of security by the regional states.
"Iran is the most influential state in Iraq now," said Fawaz Gerges, a professor of international relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science.
"If the US leaves, people across the region will think that despite his flowery rhetorical devices, Trump does not really have a strategy for the Middle East and at the end of the day will fold and go home," Gerges stated.
Being forced out would be a humiliating end to the US' long mission in Iraq, which has sucked up hundreds of billions of US taxpayers' money and left thousands of US soldiers dead.
Putting an end to the US’ military adventures in the Middle East was a key promise Trump made while on the campaign trail, but reality on the ground, not Trump’s feel-good rhetoric, shows that Washington is still pursuing its plan to stay in the region for its own aims under the guise of fighting terrorism.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has denied the US will leave, but pointed to a possible reduction of numbers.
Gerges sees that proposal as a face-saving exercise for the US that could allow the American troops to stay in small numbers but essentially begin the process of withdrawal.
Feeling hopeless, Trump has also warned that American troops will not be withdrawn unless Iraq compensates for money spent on a US air base in the country, and promised sanctions if Iraq refuses to do so.
US forces have remained in Iraq since 2003, when a Washington-led coalition invaded the country to topple Saddam Hussein.
Ahead of a withdrawal of American forces from border areas in Northeastern Syria and Turkish military operation against Kurds months ago, Trump had stated it’s time for the US to “get out of ridiculous endless wars”.
As it was not the first time that Trump claimed he would pull American troops from Syria, the announcement triggered howls of fury from hawks - some of them claim it's a victory for Iran and Russia who have been in Syria at the official request of the government of President Bashar Al-Assad to help the war-torn country fight terrorism.
Others say Washington should continue its illegal military presence in Middle East for its so-called anti-terrorism operation despite several reports that revealed Takfiri terrorist groups are being provided with advanced weapons and huge amounts of cash by the former and current US administration in Syria for the now-disappeared "Regime Change" aim.
Trump, himself, sets fire on fire to pretend that the whole Middle East is in dire condition due to "malign" acts of Iran to intimidate the Persian Gulf Arab countries - at the top of the list Saudi Arabia - and force them to buy more American weapons and then treat in a cold and unhelpful way at the right time they need Washington.
Trump indeed has stated on numerous occasions that the US will withdraw troops from Syria and other countries.
Iran has vowed to kick the US military out of the region as its ultimate objective in vengeance for Washington's assassination of its top anti-terrorism commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani.