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 the US president was wary of having a pro-Iran leader in Iraq at a time when the US needed Iraq due to changes in the US posture in Syria. This happens while 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, Shafaq News says.
Meanwhile, Rudaw media reported that in the Kurdistan region of Erbil, in northern Iraq, “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, the US is also in a state of tension with Iran, meaning 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, such as Badr, Kataib Hezbollah, and Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba, are also threatening to back Iran in case of a war.
Meanwhile, in Erbil in the Kurdistan region, the Kurdish leadership is trying to balance their work in Syria to help Kurds there with efforts to determine 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 X/Twitter account appeared to have been abruptly disabled last week, days after Trump slammed Maliki. Savaya had been outspoken against the militias in Iraq and Iran’s influence.
Shafaq News reported on February 1 that “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.”
The report said “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. 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 had also reported that “US special envoy for Iraq Mark Savaya no longer in the post, sources say.” However, Diyar Kurda of Rudaw posted that “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.”
Amberin Zaman of Al-Monitor also wrote on January 29 X that “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.”
Trump’s post about Maliki was designed to have an effect. If Iraq moves forward with Malik, this 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, from the ISIS members in Syria being moved to Iraq, to US-Iran tension, Iraqi militias, and other issues.