Basic

https://ericzuesse.substack.com/p/iran-is-winning-us-forces-are-retreating  

https://theduran.com/iran-is-winning-u-s-forces-are-retreating/  

Iran Is Winning; U.S. Forces Are Retreating

21 July 2026, by Eric Zuesse. (All of my recent articles can be seen here.)

For several weeks now, U.S. destroyers and aircraft carriers have moved away from Iran in order not to be sunk by Iranian missiles, but now America’s land-based troops have likewise retreated, and these military-forces repositionings greatly reduce America’s ability to carry out the frequently stated threats against Iran by U.S. President Donald Trump. 

So, on July 21st I asked ChatGPT, “Where have U.S. troops retreated to in order to get away from Iran's attacks?” and got the following response:

The answer appears to be: primarily to larger, more defensible bases in Jordan, Iraq (especially the Kurdistan Region), and dispersed facilities in Kuwait, while some personnel have been withdrawn entirely from the region. The Pentagon has not published a single comprehensive list, but reporting over the course of the war shows a pattern of consolidation and dispersal away from the most exposed installations.

Specifically:

• U.S. forces withdrew from the al-Tanf base in southeastern Syria on 11 February 2026 and moved into Jordan.
• Troops were also removed from al-Shaddadi and other positions in northeastern Syria and relocated largely into Iraq.
• Many of the forces moved into the Kurdish Region of Iraq, which has become an increasingly important U.S. hub because it is regarded as politically friendlier and somewhat easier to defend.
• In Kuwait, the U.S. dispersed personnel from large concentrations such as Camp Arifjan into smaller facilities, including Port Shuaiba, specifically to reduce casualties from Iranian missile attacks.
• Following Iranian strikes on Bahrain and Jordan, and escalating attacks throughout the Gulf, some non-essential military personnel and dependents were evacuated from the Middle East entirely.

However, the strategy has not been simply "retreat." It has been a combination of:

1. Withdrawal from highly vulnerable forward positions (especially Syria).
2. Consolidation at larger bases with better air defenses (Jordan and Iraqi Kurdistan).
3. Dispersal of forces across multiple sites to avoid presenting lucrative targets.
4. Partial evacuation of non-essential personnel.

Despite these movements, Iran has continued to strike U.S. facilities in Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, and elsewhere, indicating that there is presently no location in the region entirely beyond the reach of Iranian missiles and drones. Recent attacks have included deadly strikes on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan and missile/drone attacks against U.S.-linked facilities in Kuwait and Bahrain. …

The most accurate summary would be:

From small, exposed outposts in Syria and elsewhere to larger, dispersed, and more heavily defended positions in Jordan, Iraqi Kurdistan, and Kuwait—with some personnel leaving the Middle East altogether—but not to any place that is completely immune from Iranian retaliation.

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On July 20th, the Wall Street Journal bannered “Iran’s Missiles Have Gotten Faster and Deadlier.”

On July 21st the WSJ headlined “Iran Shows Its Ballistic Missiles Are Still a Force to Reckon With”.

Trump now knows that the missiles that Iran has long been building and storing deep  underground under mountains, are far more numerous than U.S. intelligence knew, and that Iran is saving its deadliest missiles for the last, just in case he finally decides to take the all-out risks, in which case Iran will deliver its all-out attacks, and not only against U.S. forces in the Middle East, but also against the countries there that have (or had) U.S. bases. Iran has been preparing for this for a very long time.

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Investigative historian Eric Zuesse’s latest book, AMERICA’S EMPIRE OF EVIL: Hitler’s Posthumous Victory, and Why the Social Sciences Need to Change, is about how America took over the world after World War II in order to enslave it to U.S.-and-allied billionaires. Their cartels extract the world’s wealth by control of not only their ‘news’ media but the social ‘sciences’ — duping the public.