US President Donald Trump called last week for Iraq’s former prime minister Nouri al-Maliki not to be appointed for a new term.
Maliki was last in charge in 2014 when ISIS took over part of Iraq. He spent years in the wilderness before returning to the spotlight.
Why Trump chose to weigh in on his possible elevation to prime minister is not clear. Perhaps he was wary of having a pro-Iran leader in Iraq at a time when the US needs Iraq because of changes in the US posture in Syria. For instance, the US is moving ISIS detainees to Iraq from Syria.
In Iraq, many parties are angling ahead of the appointment of a new president and prime minister. The powerful Kurdish KDP is in talks with the Shi’ite Coordination Framework, Baghdad-based news agency Shafaq News reported.
Meanwhile, Rudaw Media Network, a news channel in the autonomous Kurdistan Region of northern Iraq, reported: “Iraq’s ruling Coordination Framework said Saturday it remains committed to nominating former prime minister Nouri al-Maliki as its candidate for the premiership, despite a warning from US President Donald Trump that Washington would end its support for Iraq if Maliki returns to office.”
Trump warned Iraq that US-Baghdad support will end with Maliki as PM
Trump has warned Iraq that US support for Baghdad will end if Maliki becomes prime minister.
Meanwhile, tensions are growing between the US and Iran. This means that Iraq could be the center of a new conflict.
Videos over the weekend showed that Iranian-backed militias may be stockpiling missiles in an underground site in Iraq. The militias, including Badr, Kataib Hezbollah, and Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba, are also threatening to back Iran if war breaks out.
Meanwhile, in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region, the Kurdish leadership is trying to balance the work they are doing in Syria, in an effort to help Kurds there, with attempts to see which Kurdish leader might be able to secure Iraq’s presidency. Since the US invasion in 2003, Iraq’s president, a largely ceremonial role, has been Kurdish.
At the same time, there are many questions about what has happened with Mark Savaya, the American tapped by the Trump administration as an envoy to Iraq. His account on X/Twitter appeared to have been abruptly disabled last week, a few days after Trump had slammed Maliki. Savaya had been outspoken against the militias in Iraq and Iran’s influence.
“Informed sources reported on Sunday that US President Donald Trump is considering assigning the Iraq file to Tom Barrack, instead of the current special envoy Mark Savaya,” Shafaq News reported Sunday.
“Private sources told Shafaq News Agency that the US president has begun considering assigning the Iraq file to Tom Barrack, noting that the latter has extensive experience in Middle Eastern affairs and deep knowledge of the region, but no final decision has been made on this matter yet,” the report said. “According to the sources, the American objectives in Iraq will remain unchanged, whether the mission continues under Savaya’s leadership or is assigned to Barak, and include confronting Iranian-backed militias.”
Reuters reported: “US special envoy for Iraq Mark Savaya [is] no longer in the post, sources say.”
Diyar Kurda of Rudaw, however, posted: “I talked to Mark Savaya and he dismissed the reports, saying he has not yet begun the role and is still awaiting his credentials. He questioned how he could have been fired before officially starting the position.”
Last Thursday, Amberin Zaman of Al-Monitor news site wrote on X/Twitter: “I just communicated directly with the US special envoy for Iraq, Mark Savaya, who flatly denied rumors that he has been dismissed from his post.”
The questions about Savaya’s role and what comes next in Iraq are important. Trump’s post about Maliki was designed to have an effect.
If Iraq moves forward with Maliki, it will pressure the US. Iran also did the same by killing thousands of protesters after Trump warned them not to.
Iraq is now in the center of many intriguing situations, including the ISIS members in Syria being moved to Iraq, US-Iran tensions, and the Iraqi militias.