The United States will maintain its current military posture in the Middle East despite the electronic signing of a peace agreement between Washington and Tehran, a senior U.S. official said on Monday, indicating that any drawdown remains off the table for now.
“The plan is to keep to the current force posture during the succeeding negotiations,” the official said on a call with reporters. “We hope to draw them down, but we’re not doing that yet.”
“We want to see, again, that the Iranians do what they promised they’re going to tell us that they’re going to do,” the official added.
Although the text of the memorandum of understanding has not been made public, officials conceded that several major points of contention — including the future of Iran’s nuclear program — have been deferred. The hope is that those issues will be resolved during subsequent negotiations scheduled to take place over the next 60 days.
In the meantime, the framework’s opening phase extends a ceasefire between the two sides, reopens the Strait of Hormuz and lifts the U.S. naval blockade on Iranian ports.
Nearly 50,000 U.S. troops are positioned across the region, according to Adm. Brad Cooper, the chief of Central Command. Two aircraft carriers — USS Abraham Lincoln and USS George H.W. Bush — anchor the deployment.
The Trump administration’s decision to preserve its military posture sends the message that a return to war is a possibility and underscores the provisional nature of the diplomatic breakthrough. Any retrenchment of American forces, officials said, would be contingent on a satisfactory final deal and Iran’s verifiable compliance with its terms.
Tanya Noury is a reporter for Military Times and Defense News, with coverage focusing on the White House and Pentagon.