The president has warned that the US won’t offer assistance to Baghdad if Nouri al – Maliki returns as prime minister.
US President Donald Trump issued a warning to Iraq about retaliatory actions in case former Prime Minister Nouri al – Maliki regains power.
The leader of the Islamic Dawa Party served as prime minister from 2006 to 2014 – being the only two – term Iraqi prime minister since the 2003 US invasion – and had previously held other cabinet positions. Trump made this warning in a Truth Social post on Tuesday.
“When Maliki was in power last time, the country fell into poverty and complete chaos. This must not be allowed to happen again,” Trump wrote. He accused Maliki of promoting “crazy policies and ideologies” and threatened to stop US aid if Maliki came back to power.
The Shiite bloc in Iraq’s parliament put forward Maliki as a candidate for prime minister last Saturday, which almost guarantees the 75 – year – old politician’s appointment once a new president is elected. The Kurdish parties, which are responsible for choosing the person for the mostly ceremonial role under Iraq’s quota system for senior offices, requested to postpone the vote on Tuesday.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio advised Baghdad on Sunday not to take a pro – Iranian stance under the new government. Washington still has influence over Iraq, partly because Baghdad keeps its oil export revenues at the Federal Reserve Bank in New York.
Maliki was in exile for 25 years and came back after the US overthrew Saddam Hussein’s Sunni – led government, which had oppressed his party. He took part in the US – backed “de – Baathification” program, which, according to critics, increased sectarian violence and Sunni radicalization.
Political opponents blamed Maliki for corruption, mismanaging sectarian tensions, and having weak security policies that made Iraq vulnerable to the Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) attack in 2014. The Sunni jihadist group – which grew stronger in neighboring Syria while it was being destabilized by US – backed attempts to overthrow the Damascene government – captured the Iraqi city of Mosul after defeating US – trained local security forces. It was finally defeated with substantial help from Iran – aligned Shiite militias.
Although Maliki was forced to step down as prime minister under domestic and international pressure, he has maintained his political influence through his power in parliament.