President Donald Trump says he will not pull US forces out of the Middle East until Iran signs a deal to end the war. He claimed that the American soldiers were not in danger.
In an interview with NBC News released on Sunday, the President said he would not be removing US troops from the region until “completion.” Iran has demanded that at least some US troops leave the region as part of any peace agreement.
The US has at least 50,000 troops in the Middle East. Washington maintains a network of bases in the region in multiple countries. Trump deployed additional forces, including members of the 82nd Airborne, three aircraft carrier strike groups, and additional air defense systems.
Trump claimed, “I don’t consider [the US soldiers to be] in danger.” However, 13 Americans have been killed and hundreds injured during the war. Iranian missiles and drones have pummeled US bases in the region, leaving many in need of significant repairs before soldiers return.
In the past week, Tehran has targeted the US base in Kuwait multiple times in response to attacks on Iran.
In the interview, Trump said that Iran and the US nearly signed an agreement to end the war, but he rejected it, demanding stronger restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program. The President said, “They’ve conceded the fact that they will not have nuclear weapons. We had a clause in there that [they] will not develop nuclear weapons. And everybody was very happy with it except me.”
“And I said, ‘Well, what happens if they, not develop, but they go out and purchase, they acquire? I want to put the word, ‘if they buy, purchase or acquire,’” he added.
One unresolved nuclear issue is the future of Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium. Tehran has offered to internally downblend its 60% uranium to fuel grade if Washington lifts sanctions. Trump is demanding that the nuclear material be destroyed by the US.
“If we make a deal that now we’re friendly, we’ll all go together. It’ll be our equipment. We’ll take it out and destroy it, whether it’s on-site or whether we take it off-site,” Trump said. “And we will go with them, or without them. But we won’t have people shooting at us, OK?” Trump said.
