Efforts to nominate former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki for a third term have become more complicated following the arrival of a new “U.S. threat message” detailing potential sanctions against Iraq, if U.S. President Donald Trump’s veto of al-Maliki’s candidacy was ignored.
According to an Iraqi government adviser who spoke to Alhurra, Washington has sent a warning message to the Coordination Framework forces specifying the sectors that would be targeted by U.S. sanctions should the bloc proceed with al-Maliki’s nomination.
The adviser, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, said the U.S. side threatened sanctions against the State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO), the Central Bank of Iraq, as well as security and diplomatic sectors, in addition to political figures and former and current officials.
Regarding economic sanctions, the adviser indicated they could include restrictions on Iraqi oil sales, limitations on the Iraqi government’s access to U.S. dollars, or sanctions on banks—measures that could lead to a near-total halt in foreign trade and severe difficulties in paying public sector salaries.
A member of the Coordination Framework confirmed the authenticity of the message to Alhurra, adding that it was conveyed to the Shiite alliance through a senior Framework leader who recently met with the Chargé d’Affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Washington, Joshua Harris.
The U.S. Embassy announced on Thursday that Harris had met with Abdul Hussein al-Moussawi, head of the National Path Alliance, one of the Coordination Framework’s components. During the meeting, Washington reaffirmed its readiness to use all available tools to counter Iran’s destabilizing activities, stressing that any Iraqi government must be fully independent and focused on the national interests of all Iraqis.
Neither the U.S. State Department nor the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad responded to a request for comment sent by Alhurra via email.
On Friday, President Trump said the United States is closely monitoring the issue of al-Maliki’s nomination for the post of prime minister in Iraq.
Asked whether he still objected to al-Maliki’s nomination, Trump said: “We’re watching the situation regarding the prime minister. We’ll see what happens. We have some ideas about it, but in the end, everyone needs America.” Earlier this month, Trump warned that Washington would provide no assistance to Iraq if al-Maliki returned to power.
Beyond the declared U.S. opposition, al-Maliki’s chances are also diminishing amid growing rejection of his candidacy from within the Shiite alliance itself.
The Coordination Framework member noted that opposition within the bloc to al-Maliki’s nomination increased after receipt of the message and even reached factions within the State of Law Coalition led by al-Maliki.
“Everyone is worried about the impact of these sanctions and is taking them seriously. No one—al-Maliki included—wants to risk the collapse of the political system if Washington carries out its threats,” he added.
The same source said the current trend within the Coordination Framework is to wait for al-Maliki’s position on the nomination and whether he will initiate a withdrawal himself. “Otherwise, the alliance’s main forces—12 in total—are likely to meet this week and vote on selecting an alternative candidate who enjoys both domestic and international acceptance.”
The crisis surrounding al-Maliki’s nomination has caused a political deadlock in Iraq, delaying the election of a new president.
Under Iraq’s constitution, the elected president must task the nominee of the largest parliamentary bloc with forming a government.
Earlier this month, the Iraqi parliament failed twice to convene a session designated to elect a new president and appoint a new prime minister, amid ongoing Kurdish disagreements related to al-Maliki’s candidacy. By convention in Iraq, the president is elected and a new prime minister is nominated in the same session.
Iraq’s power-sharing system allocates the premiership to a Shiite, the speakership of parliament to a Sunni, and the presidency to a Kurd.
The two main Kurdish parties in Iraq have reached an agreement to resolve the crisis over nominating a new president. A Kurdish source told Alhurra last week that Kurdish parties are waiting to see how the al-Maliki nomination crisis unfolds before officially announcing their presidential candidate.
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.
