Iran hails US 'expulsion' from Iraq as start of regional withdrawal

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on Thursday welcomed the completion of the US military withdrawal from Iraq as a "historic victory." The force declared the move marked the beginning of a broader American withdrawal from the region, describing the development as "the herald of West Asia's liberation from the yoke of the Great Satan's domination."

The IRGC attributed the departure to the "will of the Iraqi people" and "resistance and action by the Iraqi government." It called on Washington to withdraw completely from the region and "leave the management of security to the peoples of its countries," framing the exit as "the first step toward the full expulsion of American forces" from West Asia.

US Mission Conclusion

The Pentagon confirmed on Wednesday that Washington and its coalition allies have officially terminated Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq. Coalition forces completed their "orderly departure" from Erbil Air Base, ending the 12-year mission launched in 2014 after ISIS seized large areas of Iraq and Syria.

"The 12-year campaign defeated ISIS as an organized military threat in Iraq and across the region," Defense Department spokesman Sean Parnell said.

Withdrawal Timeline

Iraq and the United States concluded an agreement in September 2024 to terminate the coalition's military presence according to a timeline running until September 2026. The arrangement transitions the security relationship to bilateral ties between Baghdad and individual member states.

American forces first invaded Iraq in 2003 to remove Saddam Hussein and withdrew at the end of 2011 before returning three years later to combat the ISIS advance. Baghdad announced it had fully defeated the terrorist group and regained territorial control in December 2017.