Middle East
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin speaks during the 17th IISS Manama Dialogue in the Bahraini capital Manama, on November 20, 2021. Photo: Maram Mazen/AFP
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Speaking at a Middle East security forum in Bahrain on Saturday, the United States defence chief said that American troop numbers may ebb and flow in the region, but the US remains committed to the security of its allies, especially against threats posed by Iran.
“America’s commitment so security in the Middle East is strong and sure. We’ll defend our interests in this region and we’ll continue to evaluate the right mix of forces to bolster our deterrence against Iran and we’ll protect our forces against attack by Tehran or its proxies,” Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Manama Dialogue.
US troops returned to Iraq in 2014 at the request of the Iraqi government to lead the global coalition against the Islamic State group (ISIS), which was declared territorially defeated in Iraq in 2017. After the US assassinated Iranian General Qasem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, deputy commander of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), in a drone strike in Baghdad in January 2020, pro-Iran elements within the PMF stepped up their attacks against US interests in the country, demanding the full withdrawal of American troops. The militias are blamed for 36 drone and rocket attacks in 2020, according to data compiled by Rudaw English.
After the assassination, the Iraqi parliament passed a non-binding motion expelling foreign forces. Washington agreed in July to formally end its combat mission in Iraq by the end of 2021 and focus on training and advising Iraqi security forces. It is not clear if this will mean a reduction in the 2,500 US troops now based in Iraq.
On Friday, a group of pro-Iran militias that call themselves the Iraqi Resistance Coordination Committee said they have observed an increase in US troops and weapons in the country, six weeks ahead of the withdrawal deadline. They said their weapons “will be ready to dismember the occupation forces at the moment the deadline ends.”
Defense Secretary Austin said American troops numbers may rise and fall, “but we have very real combat power in this theatre and we can and will maintain it. And if needed, we will move in more and we will move it in rapidly… No one should doubt our resolve or our capabilities to defend ourselves and all those who work alongside us to keep this region secure.”
Speaking in Bahrain, a close ally of Iran’s regional foe Saudi Arabia, Austin said he understands many countries in the region are worried about threats from Iran, especially its drone programme, and that they must work closely together.
“Iran should have no illusions that it can undermine our strong relationships in this region. We will defend ourselves and we will defend our friends and we will defend our interests. That includes tackling the dangerous use of unmanned aircraft systems. Iran’s proliferation of one-way attack UAVs [unmanned aerial vehicles] is a constant threat to American troops and a hindrance in the fight against ISIS,” he said.
Next week, talks to revive the nuclear deal between Iran and world powers will resume in Vienna after a five month hiatus to allow a new government to come into power in Tehran. Washington’s Iran envoy Robert Malley spoke at the IISS Manama Dialogue on Friday and said they are approaching the point where there is no benefit to returning to the accord.
“Iran’s advances are spreading alarm across the region… that’s what’s making the clock tick faster and making all of us say that the time is short for a return to the JCPOA,” Malley said, referring to the nuclear deal by its full name, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
The former US administration of Donald Trump withdrew from the deal and began re-imposing sanctions in 2018 in a bid to force Tehran to return to agree to a broader deal that also covered its ballistic missile programme and regional activities. The strategy failed and Iran today is enriching uranium far beyond limits set in the deal.
Iran has demanded the US lift all sanctions and accused Washington of trying to “provoke a crisis.”
“The US government, which is responsible for the current situation after withdrawing from the nuclear deal, is once again trying to provoke a crisis,” said foreign ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh.
“America’s commitment so security in the Middle East is strong and sure. We’ll defend our interests in this region and we’ll continue to evaluate the right mix of forces to bolster our deterrence against Iran and we’ll protect our forces against attack by Tehran or its proxies,” Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Manama Dialogue.
US troops returned to Iraq in 2014 at the request of the Iraqi government to lead the global coalition against the Islamic State group (ISIS), which was declared territorially defeated in Iraq in 2017. After the US assassinated Iranian General Qasem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, deputy commander of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), in a drone strike in Baghdad in January 2020, pro-Iran elements within the PMF stepped up their attacks against US interests in the country, demanding the full withdrawal of American troops. The militias are blamed for 36 drone and rocket attacks in 2020, according to data compiled by Rudaw English.
After the assassination, the Iraqi parliament passed a non-binding motion expelling foreign forces. Washington agreed in July to formally end its combat mission in Iraq by the end of 2021 and focus on training and advising Iraqi security forces. It is not clear if this will mean a reduction in the 2,500 US troops now based in Iraq.
On Friday, a group of pro-Iran militias that call themselves the Iraqi Resistance Coordination Committee said they have observed an increase in US troops and weapons in the country, six weeks ahead of the withdrawal deadline. They said their weapons “will be ready to dismember the occupation forces at the moment the deadline ends.”
Defense Secretary Austin said American troops numbers may rise and fall, “but we have very real combat power in this theatre and we can and will maintain it. And if needed, we will move in more and we will move it in rapidly… No one should doubt our resolve or our capabilities to defend ourselves and all those who work alongside us to keep this region secure.”
Speaking in Bahrain, a close ally of Iran’s regional foe Saudi Arabia, Austin said he understands many countries in the region are worried about threats from Iran, especially its drone programme, and that they must work closely together.
“Iran should have no illusions that it can undermine our strong relationships in this region. We will defend ourselves and we will defend our friends and we will defend our interests. That includes tackling the dangerous use of unmanned aircraft systems. Iran’s proliferation of one-way attack UAVs [unmanned aerial vehicles] is a constant threat to American troops and a hindrance in the fight against ISIS,” he said.
Next week, talks to revive the nuclear deal between Iran and world powers will resume in Vienna after a five month hiatus to allow a new government to come into power in Tehran. Washington’s Iran envoy Robert Malley spoke at the IISS Manama Dialogue on Friday and said they are approaching the point where there is no benefit to returning to the accord.
“Iran’s advances are spreading alarm across the region… that’s what’s making the clock tick faster and making all of us say that the time is short for a return to the JCPOA,” Malley said, referring to the nuclear deal by its full name, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
The former US administration of Donald Trump withdrew from the deal and began re-imposing sanctions in 2018 in a bid to force Tehran to return to agree to a broader deal that also covered its ballistic missile programme and regional activities. The strategy failed and Iran today is enriching uranium far beyond limits set in the deal.
Iran has demanded the US lift all sanctions and accused Washington of trying to “provoke a crisis.”
“The US government, which is responsible for the current situation after withdrawing from the nuclear deal, is once again trying to provoke a crisis,” said foreign ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh.
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