Tom Barrack takes over Iraq portfolio as U.S. signals shift on former prime minister
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Iraqi Foreign Minister and presidential candidate Fuad Hussein announced that Mark Savaya no longer holds the position of U.S. President Donald Trump's envoy for Iraqi affairs, and that Tom Brack is "currently handling the Iraqi file instead of him."
Hussein added, in an interview with Kurdistan 24 TV channel on Sunday, that the United States’ position on nominating Nouri al-Maliki for the premiership has created a new situation.
He continued, noting that he is the Kurdistan Democratic Party’s candidate for the presidency, that “the Coordination Framework still insists on nominating Nouri al-Maliki, but the recent U.S. position has created a new situation, and it is unclear whether Washington’s view of al-Maliki is temporary or permanent.”
The change comes amid growing tension between Washington and Baghdad as the U.S. attempts to limit Iranian influence in Iraqi politics.
Savaya is an Iraqi-American businessman and was among a small number of Americans of Arab origin appointed by Trump to senior positions. Trump also intensified his 2024 presidential election campaign to win Arab and Muslim votes in Detroit and across the country.