Shafaq News– Washington

US President Donald Trump said Iraq would be making a “very bad choice” if it reinstated former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, warning that Washington would end its support if al-Maliki returns to power.

In a post published on Tuesday on Truth Social, Trump argued that during Al-Maliki’s previous tenure, the country “descended into poverty and total chaos," adding that Al-Maliki’s return “should not be allowed to happen again,” claiming that his policies and ideology would lead the United States to withdraw its backing from Iraq. He warned that without US support, Iraq would have “zero chance of success, prosperity, or freedom.”

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

Al-Maliki has emerged as the official candidate of the Shiite Coordination Framework, the largest bloc in the Iraqi parliament, holding about 185 of the 329 seats, with his nomination receiving support from the Kurdistan Democratic Party, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, and parts of the Sunni National Political Council. He served as Iraq’s prime minister from 2006 to 2014, during a time when the country faced significant security, political, and institutional challenges, including the emergence of the ISIS group, which captured large areas of Iraq in 2014.