President Donald Trump on Tuesday warned Iraq against picking Nouri al-Maliki as its prime minister, saying the United States would no longer help the Middle Eastern country.
Former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, Reuters/Thaier Al-Sudani
President Donald Trump on Tuesday warned Iraq against picking Nouri al-Maliki as its prime minister, saying the United States would no longer help the Middle Eastern country.
"I'm hearing that the Great Country of Iraq might make a very bad choice by reinstalling Nouri al-Maliki as Prime Minister," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
"Last time Maliki was in power, the Country descended into poverty and total chaos. That should not be allowed to happen again. Because of his insane policies and ideologies, if elected, the United States of America will no longer help Iraq," Trump wrote.
He added that the country, without U.S. help, would have "zero" chance of success.
Trump's comments are the starkest example yet of the Republican president's campaign to curb Iran-linked groups' influence in Iraq, which has long walked a tightrope between its two closest allies, Washington and Tehran.
Reuters was not able to immediately reach Maliki for comment.
His warning comes days after the alliance of Shi'ite political blocs that hold a majority in Iraq's parliament picked Maliki, who previously served two terms as the country's prime minister, for the post.
As part of Trump's pressure campaign, Washington has also threatened senior Iraqi politicians with U.S. sanctions targeting the Iraqi state should armed groups backed by Iran be included in the next government, Reuters reported last week.
Maliki is a senior figure in the Shi'ite Islamist Dawa Party. His tenure as Iraq's prime minister from 2006 to 2014 was a period marked by sectarian violence, a power struggle with Sunni and Kurdish rivals, and growing tensions with the U.S.
He stepped down after Islamic State seized large parts of the country in 2014 but has remained an influential political player, leading the State of Law coalition and maintaining close ties with Iran-backed factions.
By Humeyra Pamuk
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman told Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian that Riyadh will not allow its airspace or territory to be used for military actions against Tehran, state news agency SPA reported on Tuesday.
Iran's foreign ministry summoned Italy's ambassador over Rome's efforts to place the Revolutionary Guards on the European Union's terrorist register, state media reported on Tuesday.
The leader of Lebanon's Iran-aligned Hezbollah movement, Naim Qassem, said on Monday that his group was concerned about confronting Washington's threat against Iran, particularly any threat against Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
To make this website run properly and to improve your experience, we use cookies. For more detailed information, please check our Cookie Policy.
Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.