Trump threatens to end Iraq support over al-Maliki comeback bid tied to Iran influence

President Donald Trump appealed to Iraqis connected Tuesday to not reinstate the arguable erstwhile Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to a caller word due to the fact that of his alleged corruption and terrible mismanagement of the country’s system and information situation.

Trump wrote connected the Truth Social platform: "I’m proceeding that the Great Country of Iraq mightiness marque a precise atrocious prime by reinstalling Nouri al-Maliki arsenic Prime Minister. Last clip Maliki was successful power, the Country descended into poorness and full chaos. That should not beryllium allowed to hap again. Because of his insane policies and ideologies, if elected, the United States of America volition nary longer assistance Iraq and, if we are not determination to help, Iraq has ZERO accidental of Success, Prosperity, oregon Freedom. MAKE IRAQ GREAT AGAIN!" 

A parliamentary league was slated for Tuesday to elite a president, who would past name the premier minister. The gathering was canceled due to the fact that of a deficiency of a quorum.

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Former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki holds the ballot insubstantial astatine a polling presumption successful Baghdad connected Nov. 11, 2025 during Iraq's parliamentary elections. Iraq is holding parliamentary elections, with analysts saying Iran volition beryllium watching intimately arsenic it hopes to clasp power implicit its neighbour aft losing determination leverage during the Gaza war.  (Ahmad Al-Rubaye/AFP via Getty Images)

Al-Maliki fired backmost astatine Trump connected Wednesday, stating, "We cull the blatant American interference successful Iraq’s interior affairs and see it a usurpation of its sovereignty."

The Trump medication vehemently opposes al-Maliki attempts to unafraid a 3rd word due to the fact that of his adjacent ties to the Islamic Republic of Iran — a state-sponsor of terrorism, according to the U.S. State Department.

Al-Maliki’s erstwhile premiership (2006 to 2014) was plagued by sectarian violence, including his reported nonaccomplishment to signifier an inclusive authorities that did not discriminate against Iraqi Kurds and Sunni Muslims successful favour of Shiite Muslims.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio told caretaker Prime Minister al-Sudani connected Sunday that the U.S. was acrophobic astir a pro-Iran authorities seizing power of the Iraqi state.

"The Secretary emphasized that a authorities controlled by Iran cannot successfully enactment Iraq’s ain interests first, support Iraq retired of determination conflicts, oregon beforehand the mutually beneficial concern betwixt the United States and Iraq," said U.S. State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott.

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Al-Maliki ended his 2nd word successful 2014 aft the Obama administration’s increasing vexation with his information unsighted spots that saw the emergence of the Islamic State successful the aforesaid twelvemonth crossed a ample swathe of Iraqi and Syrian territory. 

Al-Sudani secured the astir seats successful November’s parliamentary elections but withdrew his candidacy this month. The 75-year-old al-Maliki, from the  Shiite Islamist Dawa Party, tossed his chapeau successful the governmental ringing and won the enactment of the Coordination Framework, a postulation of Shia parties that is the largest parliamentary bloc.

Supporters of Iraqi pro-Iran groups clasp pictures of Iranian Revolutionary Guard commanders killed successful the Israeli airstrikes successful Tehran during a protestation successful Baghdad adjacent the greenish zone, the ultra secured vicinity hosting the U.S. embassy, connected June 16, 2025, amid the Israel-Iran escalating conflict.  (Photo by Ahmad Al-Rubaye/AFP via Getty Images)

Entifadh Qanbar, a erstwhile spokesperson for the lawman Prime Minister of Iraq, told Fox News Digital that "Iran has exercised tremendous power implicit Iraq. Ayatollah Khamenei personally ‘blessed’ Nouri al-Maliki’s nomination. Even if Maliki is yet dropped, Iran volition simply nominate different campaigner who is secretly acceptable to Washington. That idiosyncratic whitethorn adjacent beryllium fixed leeway to accidental the close things publically successful bid to appease the U.S., portion remaining afloat aligned with Tehran down the scenes."

Qanbar, who worked arsenic a civilian technologist successful Iraq, added, "As for the Iraqi elections, the process itself has been systematically engineered to guarantee that Iran’s proxies triumph without meaningful resistance. These elections are not contests betwixt Iranian-backed factions and genuine alternatives; rather, they are mechanisms to disagreement votes among groups already approved by Iran. Any existent dissent has been banned, imprisoned, oregon eliminated."

He noted that "I person often utilized the analogy that Iraqi elections lucifer a shot lucifer with lone 1 goal, nary goalkeeper and lone 1 squad allowed connected the field," and warned, "the United States fails to spot these structural manipulations."

Iran-backed Shi'ite groups fighters observe connected a street, aft the IRGC onslaught connected Israel, successful Basra, Iraq, Oct. 1, 2024.  (Essam Al-sudani/Reuters)

An Iraqi Kurdish authoritative besides echoed the presumption that Iran has gained greater power of Iraqi powerfulness politics. The authoritative told Fox News Digital that, "Under Sudani’s government, Iran’s proxies person doubled connected the authorities payroll and person implicit $3 cardinal a year. He established the Muhandes institution — the PMF’s concern wing, securing nationalist contracts and buying weapons."

The Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) is an umbrella enactment of Shiite militias loyal to the Islamic Republic of Iran. The PMF wields tremendous powerfulness successful Iraq.

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The Iraqi Kurdish authoritative said, "Economically, Iran’s lipid blending successful Basra has been formalized with authoritative authorities support. Financially, Iraq’s authorities and backstage banks person funneled billions successful U.S. dollar bills into Iran nether Sudani, bringing Tehran captious alleviation against U.S. sanctions."

The authoritative added, "Iran, of course, has ever been up of the curve successful Iraq. When the pro-Western campaigner Ayad Allawi bushed Maliki successful the 2010 elections, it was the Americans who handed Maliki a 2nd word — an unusual infinitesimal of alignment with Iran against their ain preferred outcome." He said helium hopes the U.S. won't marque the aforesaid mistake again.