Trump tells Rudaw he gets along ‘very well’ with Iraqi leadership

Rudaw

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - US President Donald Trump told Rudaw on Friday that the United States maintains good relations with Iraqi leadership, despite having repeatedly threatened to cut support if Nouri al-Maliki returns to power.

Ahead of his departure to Texas, where he is scheduled to visit Corpus Christi to discuss energy and economic policies, Trump told Rudaw’s Diyar Kurda that they “get along very well with the Iraqi leadership.”

Trump’s comments come as his special envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack is in Baghdad, meeting top Iraqi officials, including prime ministerial candidate Maliki and incumbent Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani.

Trump has previously stated he would “no longer help Iraq” if Maliki were re-elected. Maliki, who served as prime minister from 2006 to 2014, is the nominee of Iraq’s powerful Shiite Coordination Framework.

During his meeting with Trump’s envoy on Friday, Maliki emphasized Iraq’s sovereignty.

Iraq’s political blocs continue negotiations to elect a president and prime minister, a process stalled since November. Alongside internal party divisions, the process has been further complicated by vocal US opposition to Maliki.

In a social media post on Thursday, former US deputy assistant secretary for Iraq and Iran Victoria Taylor said her recent meetings with officials in Baghdad and the Kurdistan Region indicated that Iraq “needs to have a prime minister who’s accepted by the international community.”

She noted that US Charge d’Affaires to Iraq Joshua Harris was “urging Iraqi leaders to work together to find a new nominee,” warning that Maliki’s nomination could trigger potential US sanctions or result in Iraq losing its dollar account at the US Federal Reserve.

Taylor, now director of the Iraq Initiative at the Atlantic Council, said such measures would severely impact Iraq’s struggling economy, which is already challenged by rising tariffs and falling oil prices that could affect the government’s ability to pay salaries.

A longtime ally of Iran, Maliki’s candidacy comes as the US ramps up pressure on Tehran to end its nuclear program or face potential military action.

Maliki’s previous tenure was marred by corruption allegations and the 2014 rise of the Islamic State (ISIS) in Iraq, which was territorially defeated by Iraqi forces and Kurdish Peshmerga in 2017. Last month, Trump called Maliki a “very bad choice” on Truth Social, saying his leadership had led to “poverty and total chaos.”