ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Following US President Donald Trump’s warning against the possible return of former prime minister Nouri al-Maliki to power, senior US officials and lawmakers have renewed calls for sweeping political, security, and anti-corruption reforms in Iraq, saying that Iranian influence in the country is no longer acceptable.
US Congressman Joe Wilson warned Iraqi leaders in a post on X on Wednesday against “misreading” Washington’s position, saying that under Trump, “the position of the United States is clear and unequivocal. Iranian influence in Iraq will no longer be tolerated.”
Wilson’s remarks came after Trump issued a late-Tuesday warning against Maliki’s potential return as prime minister. In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said he was hearing that Iraq “might make a very bad choice by reinstalling Nouri al-Maliki as Prime Minister,” adding that during Maliki’s previous tenure the country “descended into poverty and total chaos.”
“That should not be allowed to happen again,” Trump said.
Trump further warned that if Maliki were to return to office, “the United States of America will no longer help Iraq,” adding that without US support Iraq would have “ZERO chance of Success, Prosperity, or Freedom. MAKE IRAQ GREAT AGAIN!”
The warning comes amid negotiations to form a new Iraqi government. Iraq’s ruling Shiite Coordination Framework announced on Saturday that it has nominated Maliki for prime minister.
Under Iraq’s constitution, once the newly elected president is sworn in, they have 15 days to task the nominee of the largest parliamentary bloc with forming a government. If confirmed, it would mark Maliki’s third term in office. He previously served from 2006 to 2014, stepping down during his second term amid major security setbacks linked to the rise of the Islamic State (ISIS) and persistent corruption allegations.
Maliki leads the State of Law coalition, which won 29 seats in Iraq’s November parliamentary elections. Earlier this month, the Reconstruction and Development Coalition said its leader, current Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani, had withdrawn his candidacy, despite his bloc winning the largest number of seats, with 46.
While Maliki’s nomination has drawn support from several Iraqi and Kurdish political figures, US officials have signaled that his return could significantly affect relations between Baghdad and Washington.
Wilson said that “the era in which outside actors imposed prime ministers on Iraq is over,” insisting that any new government must “serve only the interests of the Iraqi people.”
He outlined conditions he said an incoming Iraqi government must meet, including dismantling Iranian-aligned militias within “six to twelve months,” addressing corruption “immediately and systematically across Iraq with no exceptions,” and establishing “a genuinely independent judiciary.”
“All Iranian advisers, operatives, and agents must be removed from Iraq and from all Iraqi institutions,” Wilson added.
Washington has long accused Iran of undermining Iraqi sovereignty through political and military proxies, including by embedding loyalists within state institutions and using Iraq’s financial system to evade international sanctions. US officials have also described the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) as a parallel military structure influencing Iraq’s security policy.
Wilson called for fully institutionalizing the PMF under state authority, ensuring cabinet members are loyal to the state rather than political factions, and committing to “strong, durable, and strategic economic and security ties with the United States.”
In a separate post on X, US Envoy to Iraq Mark Savaya said US engagement extends beyond government formation, stressing the need to prevent Iranian-backed militias from gaining power and to confront what he described as Iraq’s deep-rooted corruption crisis.
Savaya said US authorities now have “a comprehensive understanding of the individuals involved,” including senior officials and family members who benefited from corrupt funds. He said the money was used to purchase properties abroad and obtain foreign citizenships and passports, “sometimes under the same names and in other cases under different identities, in order to evade future tracking and accountability.”
He said this information would support efforts to recover stolen assets and pursue accountability, warning that corruption “harms the Iraqi people, undermines national security, and empowers terrorist groups across multiple countries.”
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