US Should Deprioritize Iran, Decrease Military Presence in Middle East - Senator

By, Staff, Agencies

US Senator Chris Murphy said Washington should deprioritize deterrence against Iran, cut down its military presence in the Middle East.

"We have to look at our security footprints in the region. We spend billions of dollars putting massive amounts of troops in bases spread throughout the region. I don't think that actually accrues to our security interests," Murphy said during a podcast interview with the Center for Strategic and International Studies on Tuesday.

The lawmaker, who serves as chair of the Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee focusing on Middle East issues, said decreasing the overall "militaristic footprint" in the region also includes security aid to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates [UAE], which he said had not eased the risk of conflict in the region.

Murphy said the US should instead prioritize reentering the Iran nuclear deal - former President Donald Trump walked away from the agreement in 2018 - and reaching other long-term agreements with Tehran.

"I think that having some successful long-term diplomatic agreements between the United States and the Iranians will help build confidence for other diplomatic arrangements, either formal or informal, to be entered into that perhaps lower the temperature in the region," he said.

"I don't think that our current position in the region, whereby we are essentially giving the Saudi side whatever they need, is actually leading to that detente or to that conversation happening."