US envoy says Washington is ending its oil-for-security role, not leaving the Middle East

At the Global Security Forum in Doha, US envoy Tom Barrack said Washington is dropping its security-for-oil arrangement while keeping a Middle East presence.

• Barrack said the US is moving away from its traditional security-for-oil role and calling on regional governments to bear primary responsibility for defending their territory.
• Barrack, citing failures in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya, said the US will stay in the region: "The bargain is not to control, but to not leave. We're not leaving."
• Barrack said Washington will give Saudi Arabia logistical support against Yemen's Houthis but will not commit US troops to ground battles.
• Qatar's foreign ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari said Tehran-Washington negotiations continue, with Iran's seven-day ceasefire proposal still awaiting a US response.