Trump Eyes US Middle East Pullback: Operation Wind Down?

President Donald Trump said the U.S. is considering “winding down” its military operation in the Middle East, despite moves to increase troop and warship deployments and request additional funding from Congress.

Middle East Military Operation

Trump made the comment Friday evening in a social media post following a climb in oil prices and a subsequent drop in the U.S. stock market. He stated, “We are getting very close to meeting our objectives as we consider winding down our great Military efforts in the Middle East.”

The president’s post also offered a somewhat unclear picture regarding the policing of the vital Strait of Hormuz shipping lane. Earlier in the week, Trump said the U.S. did not need assistance, while simultaneously complaining about a lack of help from other countries.

Trump also added a fifth objective to the ongoing operation in Iran. While his administration had previously maintained four consistent objectives – blocking Iran’s path to a nuclear weapon, stopping the arming of proxy militant groups, destroying its navy, and destroying its ballistic missile capacity – he added “Protecting, at the highest level, our Middle Eastern Allies,” specifically naming America’s Gulf partners.

This came as Iran threatened to target recreational and tourist sites globally and reaffirmed its continued missile development. Iran’s supreme leader issued a defiant statement nearly three weeks into U.S.-Israeli strikes that have killed several of Tehran’s top leaders and damaged its weapons and energy industries.

The U.S. is deploying three additional warships and approximately 2,500 marines to the Middle East, according to a U.S. official. Later Friday, Trump told reporters that Iran was “finished … from a military standpoint.”

The Trump administration also announced it would lift sanctions on Iranian oil stranded at sea, granting a one-month license in an effort to lower soaring oil prices. The pause applies to oil loaded on ships as of Friday and is set to expire on April 19.

Iran launched attacks on Israel and energy sites in neighboring Gulf Arab states during a period marking one of the holiest days in the Muslim calendar. Iranians were also observing Nowruz, the Persian new year, which was more subdued than usual this year.

Limited information is available regarding the extent of damage to Iran’s arms, nuclear, or energy facilities since the conflict began on February 28, or the current leadership structure within the country. However, Iran has demonstrated its ability to disrupt oil supplies and destabilize the global economy, driving up food and fuel prices worldwide.

U.S. and Israeli leaders claim weeks of strikes have significantly weakened Iran’s military capabilities. Air strikes have reportedly killed the supreme leader, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, and numerous other high-ranking officials.

The Israeli military reported Friday that Esmail Ahmadi, head of intelligence for the Basij, was killed in a recent strike. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed Iran’s navy had been sunk, its air force decimated, and its ballistic missile production capabilities eliminated. However, Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard disputed the missile claim, stating they are continuing to produce and stockpile missiles.

Shortly after the statement, Iranian state television reported that Gen. Ali Mohammad Naeini, the spokesman for the Revolutionary Guard, was killed in an air strike.

Nato has withdrawn several hundred personnel from Iraq and relocated them to Europe following a series of Iranian attacks on bases housing British, French, and Italian troops.

Iran has increased attacks on energy sites in Gulf Arab states following an Israeli bombing of Iran’s South Pars offshore natural gas field. Two waves of Iranian drones attacked a Kuwaiti oil refinery Friday, causing a fire. Bahrain’s Interior Ministry reported a fire after intercepting shrapnel from a projectile, and Saudi Arabia reported shooting down multiple drones targeting its oil-rich Eastern Province.

Heavy explosions shook Dubai as air defenses intercepted incoming fire during Eid al-Fitr celebrations. In Iran, many were observing Nowruz amid reports of new Israeli strikes and explosions heard over Tehran.

More than 1,300 people have been killed in Iran during the conflict. Israeli strikes in Lebanon have displaced over one million people, according to the Lebanese government, with more than 1,000 fatalities. Israel reports killing over 500 Hezbollah militants. Fifteen people have been killed in Israel by Iranian missile fire, and four deaths occurred in the occupied West Bank due to an Iranian missile strike. At least 13 U.S. military members have also been killed.

Iran’s attacks on energy infrastructure and its control over shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil and goods transit, have raised concerns about a global energy crisis.

Trump criticized Nato allies for refusing to assist in protecting the strait, labeling them “cowards” and calling Nato a “paper tiger.” Brent crude oil prices have surged during the fighting, reaching around $108 per barrel Friday, up from approximately $70 per barrel before the conflict began.

Trump stated, “I may have a plan, I may not,” regarding further targeting of Kharg Island, a vital part of Iran’s oil network, but declined to elaborate. He added that keeping the Strait of Hormuz open would be a “simple military manoeuvre” requiring “ships” and “volume,” and suggested that countries reliant on the strait should contribute to its security.

As he prepared to leave the White House, Trump reiterated that Iran was “finished” from a military perspective but acknowledged they were “clogging up” the Strait of Hormuz.