April 10 (Bloomberg) -- President George W. Bush endorsed a plan to suspend further force reductions in Iraq beyond July, saying the U.S. and Iraq must consolidate the gains made in the last 15 months.

``A major strategic shift has occurred,'' Bush said today in a speech at the White House. Keeping sufficient forces in Iraq will pave the way for a more stable country and help deal ``a crippling blow'' to al-Qaeda, he said.

Bush announced a reduction in Army combat tours to 12 months from the current 15 months for units sent to Iraq as of Aug. 1 or later in an effort to ease stress on troops and their families. Units deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan have been on the extended tours since April 2007.

He also warned Iran not to interfere in Iraq.

``If Iran makes the wrong choice, America will act to protect our interests,'' Bush said.

The president met this morning with Army General David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, who has recommended that troop levels be held steady for a 45-day evaluation after the final brigade from last year's buildup of forces in Iraq is withdrawn in July.

Election Issue

That means voters likely will go to the polls in November to choose the next president with as many as 140,000 troops still stationed in Iraq and the war well into its sixth year.

Senators Hillary Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois, the two Democratic presidential contenders, favor setting a schedule for withdrawing troops. The presumptive Republican nominee, Senator John McCain or Arizona, has defended Bush's strategy and backed the troop ``surge'' that is credited with quelling violence.

For the past two years, Bush has been under pressure from congressional Democrats to set a timetable for withdrawing U.S. forces from the country. Lawmakers also have begun calling for the Iraqi government to use more of its oil revenue to pay for reconstruction and take a greater role in security operations.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat, said the president's announcement ``can only be described as one step forward and two steps back.''

He said the suspension of the troop withdrawals will leave more U.S. forces in Iraq than there were when the surge began last year. The country's ``limited resources cannot support this endless war he's gotten us in,'' Reid said at the Capitol.

Next Administration

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Bush still hasn't defined what conditions would allow the U.S. to pull troops out of Iraq or how much he will demand the Iraqis pay for reconstruction.

``He's just dragging this out to put it on the doorstep of the next president,'' the California Democrat said.

Petraeus told Congress this week that progress in Iraq is too ``fragile and reversible'' to allow U.S. troop levels to fall below about 140,000 before September at the earliest.

Petraeus will ``have all the time he needs,'' Bush said.

While ``serious and complex challenges remain,'' Bush said, improved security in the country has led to political and economic gains.

Iraq's economy is growing, and oil revenue is on the rise, he said. Seeking to head off one source of criticism from Congress, Bush said Iraq is assuming more of the costs of reconstruction and the U.S. share of security costs will drop.

``Ultimately, we expect Iraq to shoulder the full burden of these costs,'' he said.

Strain

Military officials have said the 15-month combat tours have been straining U.S. forces and had the potential to seriously harm morale if continued.

Petraeus agreed that tours should be reduced to one year. ``The 12-month tour is tough enough on our soldiers and our families, and a 15-month tour obviously is a good bit tougher,'' he told reporters at a news conference in Washington.

Under the new policy, soldiers also will have at least one year between deployments, Army Chief of Staff General George Casey said today in a statement.

The Iraq War will mean sacrifice for troops ``for some time to come,'' Bush said. ``The stress on our force is real.''

Admiral Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told Congress earlier this month that the military can't meet all its needs in Afghanistan because of the burden imposed by the U.S. presence in Iraq.

To contact the reporter on this story: Catherine Dodge in Washington at cdodge1@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: April 10, 2008 12:35 EDT