After Baghdadi, Iran Should Be Trump's Next Priority
by Con Coughlin • November 1, 2019 at 5:00 am
President Donald Trump's constant refrain about withdrawing US forces from the Middle East is... an enormous source of concern for Gulf leaders, who historically have relied heavily on the US to protect their interests. It is a measure of their disquiet that Russian President Vladimir Putin received a warm reception during his recent visits to Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, as Arab governments sought to weigh up their options in the event that they can no longer rely on Washington to safeguard their security requirements.
Allowing Mr Putin a foothold in Syria is one thing; enabling the Kremlin open access to the oil-rich Gulf states is quite another, and is not a prospect that Mr Trump should entertain.
From Washington's perspective, the Gulf states are vital allies in the Trump administration's confrontation with Tehran. So, rather than constantly sending signals that he is no longer interested in supported America's allies in the Middle East, the president should seek to reassure them that, while the nature of America's military dispositions in the region may be changing, Washington's support for its allies remains as strong as ever.
Mr Trump might do well to understand that having the Gulf states on his side is vital if he is to succeed in his campaign to force Tehran to renegotiate the flawed nuclear deal. Preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons is, after all, just as important for the Trump administration as destroying the terrorist masterminds that run ISIS.
After all the recent speculation that US President Donald Trump is seeking to end America's long-standing involvement in the Middle East, the violent demise of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has demonstrated that the White House remains resolute in pursuing its enemies.
As Mr Trump said in the immediate aftermath of Baghdadi's death in northwestern Syria at the weekend, killing or capturing the ISIS terrorist, the man responsible for overseeing the barbaric reign of cruelty that manifested itself under his so-called caliphate, had been his administration's number one priority.
It was to this end that Mr Trump personally authorised US special forces to undertake their daring mission against Baghdadi's hideout in Idlib province, close to the Turkish border, even though, in public, Mr Trump was insistent that he was intent on reducing America's involvement in what he has described as the "bloodstained sand" of the Middle East.
