Trump: Now is not the time for troop withdrawal from Iraq
US troops will "eventually" leave Iraq, but now is not the right time, Donald Trump says amid confusion and uncertainty about Washington's plans after a leaked letter addressed to the Iraqi government that implied a US withdrawal began circulating on Monday.
"If we leave that would mean that Iran would have a much bigger foothold. And the people of Iraq do not want to see Iran running their country - that I can tell you," Trump said, speaking to reporters from the White House on Tuesday.
"If we do get out, we've spent a tremendous amount of money on building airports. It's one of the largest embassies we have in the world," Trump said. "And we want to be reimbursed for the various costs that we have had, and they're very significant, but we'll work something out."