WASHINGTON DC - A spokesperson for the United States Department of State told Rudaw on Thursday that selecting Nouri al-Maliki as Iraq’s next prime minister “would be a negative outcome for the Iraqi people” and would compel Washington to reassess the entire US-Iraq relationship.
“President Donald Trump has spoken clearly: the selection of Nouri al-Maliki as the next Prime Minister of Iraq would force the U.S. government to reassess the U.S.-Iraq relationship,” the spokesperson told Rudaw. “The selection of Maliki would be a negative outcome for the Iraqi people.”
In a follow-up email, the spokesperson outlined Washington’s priorities: “ending the dominance of Iran-backed militias in Iraqi politics and the threat they pose to the United States, Iraq, and the region; reducing Iranian influence; and promoting a strong business relationship between Iraq, the United States, and our shared regional partners.”
“We seek partners who share our objectives,” the spokesperson added.
The latest strong stance from Washington comes nearly a week after Trump told Rudaw that the US was “looking at” a candidate for Iraq’s next premier. He stopped short of explicitly endorsing or rejecting Maliki’s bid for a third term when asked whether he still maintains a veto over Maliki.
“We are looking at a Prime Minister; we will see what is going to happen,” Trump said. “We’ve got some ideas on it, but in the end, everybody needs the US.”
Iraq’s political blocs continue negotiations to form a new government. The Shiite Coordination Framework, the largest bloc in parliament, formally nominated Maliki in late January. Since then, Washington has increased pressure on Iraq, with Trump publicly warning against Maliki’s return.
In a late January post on Truth Social, Trump described the prospect of a third Maliki term as a “very bad choice,” citing the “poverty and total chaos” during his previous tenure. He warned that if Maliki returns to office, “the United States of America will no longer help Iraq,” adding that without US assistance, Iraq would have “ZERO chance of success, prosperity, or freedom.”
Maliki served as Iraq’s prime minister from 2006 to 2014, stepping down during his second term amid corruption allegations and mounting security crises linked to the rise of the Islamic State (ISIS).
Following Trump’s public opposition to Maliki’s nomination, several messages were sent urging him to reconsider his stance, Aqeel al-Fatlawi, spokesperson for Maliki’s State of Law Coalition, told Rudaw last week.
“The reasoning behind the nomination of Nouri al-Maliki has been clarified [to Trump in the letters], including his achievements during his premiership, particularly in the field of counterterrorism,” Fatlawi said, adding that “There will be no reversal of the decision to nominate Maliki for a third term.”