US President Donald Trump on Tuesday warned that Washington would withdraw all support for Iraq if former prime minister Nouri al-Maliki returns to power, saying the country would be making a “very bad choice.”
Maliki has been nominated for the top post by the largest Shiite political bloc in Iraq. Trump said that due to Maliki’s policies and ideology, the United States would stop assisting Iraq if he is elected prime minister. He added that without US backing, Iraq would have little chance of achieving success, prosperity, or freedom.
Maliki stepped down in 2014 under pressure from the United States, which accused his sectarian policies of contributing to the rise of the Islamic State group.
The US continues to wield significant influence over Iraq. Most of Iraq’s oil export revenues are held at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York under an arrangement established after the 2003 US invasion. Oil exports account for about 90% of Iraq’s government income.
Trump’s remarks came days after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio raised similar concerns in a phone call with current Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani. Political sources said Washington had also sent a letter to Iraqi leaders expressing its negative view of Maliki’s return.
By convention, Iraq’s prime minister has been a Shiite Muslim since the fall of Saddam Hussein. On Saturday, the Coordination Framework — a coalition of Shiite parties that holds a majority in parliament — backed Maliki’s nomination.
