No Decision to Host Permanent US Military Bases

There are “various allegations and analyses” with regards to reported US plans to build permanent military bases in Iraq, Masum said in an interview with Iranian Arabic-language al-Alam news network.

However, “in actuality, Iraqi security bodies have announced that there is no such thing or decision,” he added.

“If they had begun building such bases, everyone would have known about it. Why should there be such bases [at all]? Is Iraq going to come under occupation in the future? Is anybody going to take military action against Iraq? We should defend Iraq ourselves,” Masum said.

The remarks echoed those by Foreign Minister Ebrahim Ja’afari, who said in March that his country would under no circumstances permit the United States to build permanent military bases on its soil, calling the prospect a violation of its sovereignty.

According to US government data, there are about 9,000 American troops in Iraq. The US Department of Defense, though, puts the number far lower.