Trump Says U.S. No Longer Needs Military Presence in Iraq

President Trump said July 14 that the United States no longer believes it needs a military presence in Iraq. -led coalition mission ends later in 2026. Trump said the partnership with Iraq would shift from military cooperation to investment and energy development.

"We don't think we need the military there anymore," he said. "We're there to help them. " Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Zaidi echoed the assessment during the Oval Office meeting.

He stated that armed factions operating outside state control would have "no justification" once the coalition mission concludes and that Iraq's security forces would be capable of protecting the country on their own. " He summarized the transition by saying, "U.S. forces will be out of Iraq.

U.S. " Trump described Iran as "very much destabilized," with its military now "just a tiny fraction" of what it had been four months earlier. The remarks come under a 2024 agreement that set the end of the American-led coalition's military mission to begin in September 2025.

U.S. forces drew down from several bases after that date but remained in an advisory role and to support counter-ISIS operations. Approximately 2,500 U.S. troops were in Iraq before the drawdown. The peak presence reached about 170,000 in 2007.

Nearly all U.S. forces left in 2011 before roughly 5,000 returned in 2014 to fight ISIS. Al-Zaidi, a businessman and political newcomer, took office in 2026 after emerging as a consensus candidate following months of political deadlock.

Trump publicly backed his candidacy and opposed the return of former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. During the meeting Trump called al-Zaidi "a great leader" and said he had "played a role" in the prime minister's rise to power.