President Donald Trump declared Tuesday that the United States no longer needs a military presence in Iraq, saying the relationship is shifting toward major oil and economic partnerships as he welcomed Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi to the White House.
"We don't think we need the military there anymore," Trump told reporters during an Oval Office meeting, arguing that American oil companies are entering Iraq at unprecedented levels while Iran's influence over its neighbor has sharply declined.
"They're doing partnerships with Iraq, and they're getting along very well," Trump said. "The relationship is a whole big relationship where we don't need the military there."
Trump said Iran, which he described as the "bully of the Middle East," had been so weakened militarily that Iraq no longer faced the same pressure from Tehran.
The president repeatedly praised al-Zaidi, calling him "a great leader" and predicting he would become an influential figure across the Middle East. Trump also said...
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