Shafaq News- Baghdad (Updated at 20:51)

Leaders within Iraq’s Shiite Coordination Framework held a series of bilateral and internal consultative meetings on Wednesday evening to discuss recent remarks by US President Donald Trump rejecting the nomination of Nouri al-Maliki for a third term as prime minister, sources told Shafaq News.

Three Coordination Framework sources told Shafaq News that several senior figures held intensive talks over the past hours to assess Trump’s remarks and discuss whether a unified response should be issued, revealing that a broder meeting was scheduled at al-Maliki’s residence on Wednesday evening, but preliminary bilateral consultations were held first to outline an initial position on the statements and on how to address what they described as external interference alongside other political issues under review.

According to the sources, the meetings exposed a clear division among Coordination Framework leaders over the direction of the next phase. “One camp is pushing to reaffirm support for al-Maliki as a viable candidate for the premiership, while another favors searching for an alternative nominee to avoid domestic and international escalation.”

The disagreement, the sources said, goes beyond the candidate’s name to include how to deal with warnings issued by President Trump. “One faction argues that any step should be calculated to prevent Iraq from becoming isolated or losing international support, while another rejects the submission to threats,” stressing that choosing the prime minister is a “sovereign decision” that should not be subject to US pressure.

Earlier, the Islamic Dawa Party, to which Al-Maliki belongs, warned the Coordination Framework against opening a “breach” in its decision that could deepen instability, recalling years marked by bombings and assassinations. The party said the largest parliamentary bloc had exercised its constitutional right to nominate a prime minister and that progress stalled only after the presidential vote was postponed. al-Maliki, meanwhile, said he “categorically rejects” Trump’s remarks and will continue his bid based on the Framework’s decision.

Trump triggered the backlash yesterday, saying al-Maliki’s return “should not be allowed,” accusing him of presiding over a period in which Iraq “slid into poverty and chaos.” He warned Washington would halt assistance if al-Maliki were re-elected, arguing it would undermine Iraq’s prospects for “success, prosperity, or freedom.”

CF announced, on January 24, that it had nominated al-Maliki to form the next government, setting off an intensifying political standoff as domestic reactions continue to mount.

Read more: Nouri Al-Maliki’s return rekindles Iraq’s divisions as Iran and the US pull apart