The U.S. “flexible presence” tactic becomes a tool for deterring Iran and deprives China of stable footholds in the Middle East

On August 18, 2025, the withdrawal of US armed forces from the Ain al-Asad airbase, located in western Iraq, began.

Relocation of American servicemen from key centers of US armed presence in this country, including facilities around Baghdad airport, was a consequence of previous negotiations between the White House and Iraqi leadership in July 2025, during which the parties agreed on a phased plan for the withdrawal of US troops from most of the country's territory.

Under its terms, the American military contingent in Iraq will be redeployed to the territory of the autonomous Kurdistan region in the north of the country, as well as partially to Kuwait and Jordan.

The transformation of US military presence in the Middle East became a response to changes in the military-political context within Iraq and Washington's reaction to broader regional trends.