The process of forming Iraq’s new government has grown more complicated after U.S. President Donald Trump said he was opposed to the return of former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to power—a move that has placed the election’s winning forces in an “extremely awkward position,” according to a parliamentary source who spoke to Alhurra.
On Tuesday, Trump warned Iraqi politicians in a post on the “Truth Social” platform of the consequences of choosing al-Maliki once again as prime minister, citing potential damage to relations between Baghdad and Washington.
Trump said the United States would not assist Iraq if al-Maliki returned to power. Al-Maliki responded on Wednesday in a post on the “X” platform, issuing what he described as an “unequivocal rejection” of what he called “blatant American interference in Iraq’s internal affairs.”
Days earlier, the Coordination Framework—a coalition of Iraqi Shiite political forces that won the November elections and holds a parliamentary majority—had officially nominated Nouri al-Maliki for the premiership.
The parliamentary source told Alhurra that the Coordination Framework is currently weighing several options to deal with Washington’s rejection of al-Maliki, amid internal divisions within the alliance over his nomination that existed even before Trump’s threat.
According to the source, the Framework has formed a committee tasked with negotiating with “influential parties” on the American side, while stressing the need for de-escalation and restraint in media statements pending the outcome of those talks.
The Coordination Framework met at al-Maliki’s residence on Wednesday but issued no official statement regarding Trump’s warnings or the fate of al-Maliki’s nomination.
The source said the Framework faces a deadline until Sunday—the likely date for a parliamentary session to elect a new president. The president would then task the nominee of the largest parliamentary bloc, the Coordination Framework, with forming a government.
Two scenarios are currently under discussion within the alliance, the source revealed. The first is to proceed with al-Maliki’s nomination and leave the final decision to parliamentary blocs. The second is for al-Maliki to withdraw his candidacy while being given the opportunity to nominate an alternative figure.
The source concluded by noting that there is optimism within the pro-al-Maliki wing of the Coordination Framework about the possibility of reaching an understanding with the American side.
On Thursday, the Supreme Islamic Council—part of the Coordination Framework—announced that its leader, Ammar al-Hakim, had met with the chargé d’affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Joshua Harris, and discussed, among other issues, “the Coordination Framework’s vision for the path of the next government.”
In a statement, the council said Hakim stressed to Harris “the importance of mutual understanding between the Iraqi and American sides in a way that serves their shared interests.”
The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad has yet to issue any comment on the meeting.
Trump’s remarks regarding al-Maliki’s nomination are unprecedented for a U.S. president publicly rejecting a candidate for Iraq’s premiership. In the past, such matters were handled behind closed doors.
Tom Warrick, a former U.S. deputy assistant secretary of homeland security, said the primary reason for opposing al-Maliki’s nomination is that the Trump administration views him as “too close to Iran at the expense of U.S. security and economic interests.”
In addition, Warrick said, events in Iraq in 2014—when the Islamic State group seized control of large swaths of the country—are among the factors behind Trump’s rejection of al-Maliki.
The Islamic State group swept across vast areas of Iraq in 2014 during the final months of al-Maliki’s second term. Shiite leaders have said that sectarian policies adopted under al-Maliki helped fuel the group’s rise.
After al-Maliki left office, the United States led a years-long international military campaign to help Iraq defeat the group and retake territory it had controlled.
In recent months, the Trump administration has intensified pressure on Baghdad to curb Iranian influence in Iraq and prevent militias linked to Tehran from participating in the new government.
In a statement to Alhurra, a U.S. State Department spokesperson said via email on Tuesday that Washington does not believe Iran-backed militias should have any role in Iraq’s political life.
The statement coincided with assertions by Iraqi officials that Washington had warned of “catastrophic” sanctions if Iran-aligned militias were not excluded from the next government.
An Iraqi government adviser, who requested anonymity, told Alhurra that Washington had signaled the possibility of economic and financial measures he described as “catastrophic” should armed factions loyal to Iran be included in the forthcoming cabinet.
Relations between al-Maliki and Washington were not always this strained. He was first elected prime minister in 2006 with U.S. backing. But after two terms spanning eight years, he came to be increasingly viewed as close to Iran and was accused of deepening sectarian divisions through policies favoring Iraq’s Shiite majority.
al-Maliki faced internal and external pressure that forced him to step down in 2014, despite winning the elections, following the rapid gains made by the Islamic State group in seizing Iraqi territory during his second term.
The article is a translation of the original Arabic.
Ghassan Taqi
A journalist specializing in Iraqi affairs, he has worked with the Middle East Broadcasting Networks (MBN) since 2015. He previously spent several years with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, as well as various Iraqi and Arab media outlets.
