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With the withdrawal of US troops of Afghanistan and their significant reduction from Iraq, the Biden presidency is finally acting on the U.S. “pivot” from the Middle East toward Asia. Announced a decade ago, this rebalancing aims to turn the competition with China into the main driver of the U.S. foreign policy. However, it has major implications for the balance of power in the Middle East, with regards to the security of U.S. partners (Israel and Gulf countries) or to the resolution of the Iranian nuclear crisis. Beyond the compelling logic of the “pivot” geopolitical narrative, regional contingencies may constrain the actual implementation of U.S. goals. A full U.S. military disengagement from the region remains as of today unlikely. If this was to materialize, such disengagement would be partial and designed to allow, if needed, a return of troops from the Asian or European theaters.