Iran US Asia

FILE - In this photo provided by the U.S. Navy, the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Halsey (DDG 97) conducts routine underway operations while transiting through the Taiwan Strait, May 8, 2024.

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Iran war diverts US military and attention from Asia ahead of Trump's summit with China's leader

Iran war diverts US military and attention from Asia ahead of Trump's summit with China's leader

President Barack Obama in 2011 declared it was time to leave behind the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and “pivot” to Asia to counter China's rise. Fifteen years later, the U.S. finds itself still at war in the Middle East and pulling military assets from Asia. The Iran war also caused President Donald Trump to delay his highly anticipated trip to China. This has deepened worries that the U.S. is once again getting distracted at the cost of its strategic interests in Asia, where Beijing seeks to unseat the U.S. as the regional leader. Some defend the president's approach, arguing that his forceful steps elsewhere, including in Venezuela and Iran, serve to counter China globally.