US President Donald Trump stated in remarks for the second time that US forces will stay in Iraq to watch Iran.
Abdul Mahdi dismissed Trump’s claim that US has military base in Iraq.
Trump said it was important to keep a US military presence in Iraq so that Washington can keep a close eye on Iran and the entire region.
Earlier, Iraqi President Barham Salih voiced his disapproval of US President Donald Trump’s remarks about the purpose of the US forces’ presence in his country, saying Trump had not asked Baghdad’s permission for his troops based in the country to “watch Iran”.
American troops do not have the right to use his country to “watch Iran,” Barham Salih said Monday after Trump indicated a day earlier they were there to do just that.
“We are surprised by the statements made by the U.S. president on the presence of U.S. troops in Iraq,” Salih said at a forum in Baghdad, “Trump did not ask us to keep U.S. troops to watch Iran.”
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