Trump: U.S. doesn’t need the military in Iraq anymore
U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with Prime Minister of Iraq Ali al-Zaidi (L) in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on July 14, 2026. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images)
OAN Staff Katherine Mosack
3:05 PM – Tuesday, July 14, 2026
President Donald Trump has declared that the United States no longer needs military personnel stationed in Iraq due to the shifting economic relationship and “tremendous chemistry” between the countries.
On Tuesday, Trump welcomed Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, whom he previously endorsed, to the White House.
“We don’t think we need the military there anymore,” Trump said in the Oval Office.
“What we do have is the oil companies are all going in now, and they’re doing partnerships with Iraq and they’re getting along very well,” he added. “The relationship is a whole big relationship where we don’t need the military there. We’re there to help them, we’re there to protect them, if need be. But we don’t think that’s going to be necessary.”
Trump also suggested that Iran, “the bully of the Middle East,” was a common “opponent” for the U.S. and Iraq. He said that Iraq also did not face as much pressure from Iran after the U.S. weakened its military capabilities in recent months.
Trump praised the Iraqi prime minister, reporting a “good meeting,” followed by an unplanned lunch.
“We’re going to do it on the fly,” Trump said of the two leaders’ lunch, “because we have a tremendous chemistry together.”
“The prime minister of Iraq has been amazing. He won an election that a lot of people didn’t anticipate,” he said, adding that another person who was running was not a “good person” for America or Iraq.
President Trump has met with Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi in the Oval Office: "It was very important to me to have somebody get in there that can do the job and do it well."
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— One America News (@OANN) July 14, 2026
Trump is partially credited with al-Zaidi’s victory, after he warned that he would block support if former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who the Trump administration believed to be too close to Tehran, returned to power in Iraq.
He also called al-Zaidi a “fantastic champion,” as well as “young” and “handsome.”
Al-Zaidi has previously been referred to as the “Trump of the Middle East,” according to Victoria Taylor, director of the Iraq Initiative at the Atlantic Council.
“When you value business success, I think then it’s very appealing to look at an Iraqi prime minister who is likely a billionaire and can be really pointed to as a political outsider,” she said.
An official oil pipeline deal between the U.S. and Iraq is reportedly in the works, according to Iraqi officials. Though neither leader has publicly elaborated on a possible deal, Trump has said that Iraq has “tremendous potential” due to its oil.
President Trump has welcomed Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi to the White House: "We love Iraq… this man just won a big election. They are very well represented, I can tell you that."
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— One America News (@OANN) July 14, 2026
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