"[O]ne of the reasons I want to keep [a U.S. military presence in Iraq] is because I want to be looking a little bit at Iran because Iran is a real problem," President Trump said on Face the Nation Sunday.
"I want to be able to watch Iran," Trump continued. "All I want to do is be able to watch. We have an unbelievable and expensive military base built in Iraq. It's perfectly situated for looking at all over different parts of the troubled Middle East rather than pulling up."
The president also said he would keep a reduced military and intelligence presence in Afghanistan long-term, and that he would be willing to "come back if we have to." However, in the same breath he decried the length, casualties, and expense of "endless" U.S. wars and nation building in the Middle East, arguing that "[w]hat we're doing is got to stop at some point."
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CBS host Margaret Brennan asked Trump about his foreign policy plans for Venezuela, a point on which the president spoke more briefly. Military intervention there is "an option," Trump said, though he suggested he would presently prefer to let the Venezuelan opposition movement continue leading the process of change.
Read Trump's full interview here, or watch it on CBS in two portions airing at 10:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Eastern.
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