President Donald Trump announced Sunday the appointment of Tom Barrack, the current US Ambassador to Turkey, as Special Presidential Envoy to both Syria and Iraq, a dual role that signals Washington's intensifying diplomatic engagement across the region.
Tom Barrack, Reuters/Bing Guan/Mena Today
President Donald Trump announced Sunday the appointment of Tom Barrack, the current US Ambassador to Turkey, as Special Presidential Envoy to both Syria and Iraq, a dual role that signals Washington's intensifying diplomatic engagement across the region.
"Tom Barrack has done an outstanding job," Trump wrote on Truth Social, adding that Barrack would "operate with the full backing of the United States Department of State" while retaining his post as Ambassador to Ankara.
The appointment reflects the growing strategic importance the Trump administration places on its relationships with both Damascus and Baghdad. "As we advance our strategic cooperation with the Governments of Syria and Iraq, our relationship with them continues to grow," the president noted.
The decision to keep Barrack simultaneously as Ambassador to Turkey is significant, given Ankara's pivotal role in Syrian affairs and its complex relationship with both Baghdad and Washington. Having a single envoy straddling all three capitals could streamline US diplomacy across a region where the interests of Turkey, Syria and Iraq are deeply intertwined.
The appointments take effect immediately.
The U.S. Treasury said on Wednesday it had removed counter-terrorism sanctions from Iraq's Fly Baghdad Airlines and two aircraft that were imposed in 2024 over links to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force, citing changes in the airline's behavior.
Turkey on Tuesday called on Russia and Ukraine to take measures to ensure navigational safety in the Black Sea after a drone attack hit a Turkish-owned vessel and seriously injured three crew members near Russia's Novorossiysk port.
Saudi oil giant Aramco announced Tuesday a 44% surge in net profit for the second quarter compared to the same period last year, driven by soaring crude prices amid the war in the Middle East.
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