US Will Establish Military Base at Iran-Iraq Border

The Wall Street Journal reported today that the US is planning to build its first base near the Iraq-Iran border. According to the WSJ article, the move is part of “a new effort to curb the flow of advanced Iranian weaponry to Shiite militants across Iraq. The push also includes construction of fortified checkpoints on the major highways leading from the Iranian border to Baghdad and the installation of X-ray machines and explosives-detecting sensors at the only formal border crossing between Iran and Iraq.”

The article also cites US officers who say they plan to use the new base for at least two years, though it is unclear whether the base will be among the small number of facilities that would remain in Iraq after any future large-scale US withdrawal from the country.

According to the article, “Maj. Toby Logsdon, the US officer overseeing the project, says that the new base will have living quarters for at least 200 soldiers. He hopes US forces will begin living at the new outpost in November.”

The move comes as US has ratcheted up accusations that Iran is supplying Shiite militias with arms and training, though it has not provided any substantiated evidence for those claims.