U.S. Withdrawal from Iraq: Protecting Americans or Empowering Iran?

U.S. Withdrawal from Iraq: Protecting Americans or Empowering Iran?

In July 2025, Baghdad and Washington finalized a phased withdrawal framework. U.S. combat forces will exit central and western Iraq by December, while counterterrorism and training operations continue from Kurdistan. After sustained pressure from Iraq’s legislature and Iran-aligned factions, both sides celebrated the compromise. The pattern has become familiar: each American intervention promises to be the last, each drawdown is supposed to mark…