Former Iraqi prime minister and current candidate for the position, Nouri al-Maliki, speaks during an interview with AFP in his office in the Green Zone in Baghdad, on Feb. 23, 2026. (Credit: Ahmad Al-Rubaye/AFP)
U.S. envoy Tom Barrack met Friday with former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, the Shiite alliance’s candidate for prime minister, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.
Maliki has been nominated by a powerful Shiite bloc to reclaim the role, but the United States has warned that it may reconsider its support for Iraq if he is chosen again.
Because of Maliki’s ties to the Islamic Republic of Iran, U.S. President Donald Trump had written on his Truth Social account at the end of January: "If he is elected, the United States of America will no longer help Iraq."
According to press reports, Washington has even threatened Baghdad with sanctions, including restrictions on Iraq’s access to its oil revenues held at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
Since then, the political process has stalled, as the two-term leader from 2006 to 2014 has no intention of backing down, as he told AFP on Monday.
The presidential election has already been postponed twice, which has also delayed the official appointment of the prime minister, who would then be tasked with forming a government.
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