US leaving oil-for-security approach, not Middle East, says Tom Barrack

Speaking in Doha, US envoy Tom Barrack said Washington was moving away from its traditional oil-for-security approach and no longer sought to dominate the Middle East, but was not leaving the region. The US ambassador to Türkiye and special envoy for Syria called past interventions to change governments or regimes mistakes, noting that the United States had been involved in 23 regime changes across the wider Middle East. His remarks come as Washington and Tehran negotiate an end to the US-Israeli war on Iran, which has destabilised the region and disrupted global energy supplies. Analyst Luciano Zaccara said Barrack was acknowledging that regime change had not worked, regardless of the US administration.