[US Media: US Reduces Troops at Middle East Bases to Prevent Escalation of Actions Against Iran] Golden Finance reported on October 22 that, according to NBC News, two U.S. officials and two informed sources revealed that the U.S. military has been quietly reducing troop levels at several bases in the Middle East in recent days, including military bases in Jordan, Qatar, and Kuwait. Two U.S. officials stated that on Wednesday, heads of multiple U.S. diplomatic institutions in the Middle East were notified that the relevant institutions would begin scaling down personnel. Previously, the U.S. State Department clarified that the diplomatic withdrawal was limited to Saudi Arabia. The report noted that as Trump considers restarting large-scale military actions against Iran, further withdrawing U.S. military personnel from dangerous areas is one of the plans being developed by U.S. military officials. These actions may occur around the midterm elections next month. Before the outbreak of war in February this year, the U.S. military had already withdrawn most of its troops stationed in the Middle East to prevent Iranian retaliation. Some personnel later returned to the bases, but they may now be withdrawn again. The U.S. plans to retain a small number of personnel at the relevant bases to handle air defense and security. U.S. Central Command stated that the U.S. military regularly adjusts personnel and equipment to optimize mission readiness but will not disclose specific details of the adjustments.