Iran denies Ain Al-Asad withdrawal linked to military escalation

Shafaq News– Tehran

Iran on Monday dismissed claims that the planned withdrawal of foreign forces from Iraq’s Ain Al-Asad air base signals potential military escalation, calling such interpretations “unfounded.”

In a press conference, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said the handover falls within existing agreements between Iraq and the United States and is not linked to any hostile action against Iran.

Iraqi officials have confirmed the transfer of the air base to full Iraqi control is scheduled for 2026 under arrangements governing the drawdown of the US-led Coalition, he added.

The remarks followed comments by Iraq’s caretaker Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, who confirmed on Sunday that Baghdad had reached an agreement to end the Coalition’s mission and move toward bilateral security relations, adding that Iraqi forces would assume control of the base “in the coming days.”

Ain Al-Asad has been one of the largest US military facilities in Iraq, and a central hub for Coalition operations, especially agaisnt ISIS, since 2014.

Read more: Iraq after the Global Coalition: Between sovereignty and strategic risk