US War Secretary Hints at Potential Review of Middle East Military Presence

US War Secretary, Pete Hegseth, has not ruled out the possibility of withdrawing the country's forces from some military bases damaged in the Middle East. Hegseth indicated that US President Donald Trump will be responsible for making the final decision on this matter following the recent conflict with Iran. Hegseth's statements came to journalists during his visit to the Shangri-La Dialogue forum in Singapore, where he clarified that the President's decision would depend on the course Washington chooses to pursue later. The Secretary emphasized a positive view of regional partnerships, stressing that decisions would be made taking into account the outcomes of the conflict. These developments follow a military escalation in the region, where the United States and Israel began bombing targets inside Iran on February 28, resulting in the deaths of over 3,000 people. On April 8, Washington and Tehran declared a ceasefire, but subsequent talks held in Islamabad concluded without reaching any results, despite no reports of renewed hostilities. Meanwhile, the United States imposed a blockade on Iranian ports. In a related context, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced last Thursday that it had targeted a US military base, which it claimed was used to attack a facility near the Iranian city of Bandar Abbas, without specifying the base's location. Conversely, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) reported that its forces in Kuwait intercepted a ballistic missile, believed to have been launched by Iran towards the Gulf state.