WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump threatened Tuesday to end U.S. support for Iraq if Nouri al-Maliki, a former prime minister with ties to Iran, returns to office.
Trump, in his latest blatant intervention into another country’s politics, said Iraq would make a “very bad decision” with Maliki.
“The last time Maliki was in power, the country fell into poverty and total chaos. That must not be allowed to happen again,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
“Because of his insane policies and ideologies, if elected, the United States of America will no longer help Iraq,” he said.
“If we are not there to help, Iraq has ZERO chance of success, prosperity or freedom. MAKE IRAQ GREAT AGAIN!” he wrote.
Maliki left power in 2014 after pressure from the United States, which blamed his open sectarian agenda for giving rise to the Islamic State extremist group.
The United States wields key influence over Iraq, as the country’s oil export revenues are largely held at the Federal Reserve Bank in New York, in a deal reached after the 2003 U.S. invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.
