Trump told NBC News he has no plans to withdraw U.S. forces from the Middle East
despite saying Iran’s offensive and defensive capabilities are severely degraded
and temporary ceasefires remain fragile and often violated. He said the U.S. has
“completely destroyed” Iran’s military strength but that Tehran still retains
missiles and drones, estimating roughly 21–22% of its pre-war missile inventory
remains. He added the roughly 50,000 U.S. service members deployed to the region
will not be pulled back soon, saying keeping them there costs little and can be
used to pressure Iran at the negotiating table.
