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3. Trump Says U.S. Will Stop Helping Iraq if al-Maliki Returns to Premiership

President Trump expressed on Truth Social that the U.S. will cease helping Iraq if former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki returns to power. 

Trump asserted that “because of [Nouri al-Maliki’s] insane policies and ideologies, if elected, the United States of America will no longer help Iraq.” 

Al-Maliki was Iraq’s prime minister from 2006 to 2014, and his tenure was widely criticized for sectarian policies that many analysts say undermined national unity and contributed to the rise of groups such as the Islamic State.

On January 12, Iraq’s current prime minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani withdrew his candidacy for the premiership following the November 2025 parliamentary elections, the results of which saw traditional Shia parties lose ground to pro-Iran Shia parties. 

Iraq has been one of Iran’s largest and most important arenas of influence in its regional power projection ambitions, where it supports proxy groups such as Kataeb Hezbollah. Such groups have gained traction in last year’s elections and could be further emboldened under an Al-Maliki premiership. 

As the U.S. begins to position what Trump has described as an “armada” in the Gulf near Iran following threats of crippling force and the enactment of sanctions against Iran’s shadow fleet, tensions between the two countries run high.

The Trump administration has sought to reel in Iran’s proxy network, building a partnership with the new al-Sharaa government in Syria, supporting Hezbollah disarmament efforts in Lebanon, and targeting Houthi infrastructure in Yemen. 

Trump’s comments denouncing a prospective al-Maliki premiership suggests the U.S. may seek to deter Iraq from moving closer to Iran and to influence the country's political trajectory through external pressure