Iraq’s al-Maliki rejects ‘violation of sovereignty’ after Trump’s threats
Al-Maliki rejects Trump’s threat as a violation of Iraq’s sovereignty, suggesting that he will not withdraw his candidacy.
Nouri al-Maliki has condemned the “violation of Iraqi sovereignty” by the United States following threats from President Donald Trump.
The US president said that he would end support for Iraq if al-Maliki, a former prime minister with ties to the US’s longstanding foe Iran, is reinstated to the post. The Iraqi politician rejected that threat on Wednesday, condemning the “blatant American interference in Iraq’s internal affairs”.
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Trump said on Tuesday that Iraq would be making a “very bad choice” should it choose al-Maliki, who just days previously was nominated by the Coordination Framework, the largest Shia bloc in parliament, as its candidate.
“Last time Maliki was in power, the Country descended into poverty and total chaos. That should not be allowed to happen again,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
“Because of his insane policies and ideologies, if elected, the United States of America will no longer help Iraq,” he said. If we are not there to help, Iraq has ZERO chance of Success, Prosperity, or Freedom. MAKE IRAQ GREAT AGAIN!”
Diktats and threats
It was just the latest in a growing list of interventions in the politics of other nations made by Trump or members of his administration.
The Republican president has been running a campaign to curb the influence of Iran-linked groups in Iraq, which has long walked a tightrope between its two closest allies, Washington and Tehran.
On Wednesday, al-Maliki rejected Trump’s threat, condemning it as a violation of Iraq’s sovereignty and democracy. He also insisted that he will not withdraw his candidacy for the top job.
“The language of dialogue between states is the only political option for engagement, not resorting to the language of diktats and threats,” al-Maliki wrote in a post on X.
“And based on my respect for the national will, and the decision of the Coordination Framework endorsed by the Iraqi constitution, I will continue to work until we reach the end in a manner that achieves the supreme interests of the Iraqi people.”
Al-Maliki, 75, is a senior figure in the Shia Islamist Dawa Party. His tenure as prime minister from 2006 to 2014 was a period marked by a power struggle with Sunni and Kurdish rivals, accusations of deep corruption and growing tension with the US.
He stepped down after ISIL (ISIS) seized large parts of the country in 2014, but has remained an influential political player, leading the State of Law coalition and maintaining close ties with Iran-backed factions.
The US wields key leverage over Iraq, as the country’s oil export revenue is largely held at the Federal Reserve Bank in New York in an arrangement reached after the 2003 US invasion that toppled Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.
