Former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki confirmed his commitment to running for prime minister, despite the opposition of the United States and its threat to impose sanctions on Baghdad if he is elected. His nomination by the Coordination Framework Alliance comes in light of internal political tension and regional sensitivities, especially with the escalation of the dispute between Washington and Tehran, which makes the issue of forming the new government the focus of both internal and external attention.

Published on: 02/23/2026 - 15:48 Last updated: 02/23/2026 - 18:29

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Former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki confirmed on Monday that he will not withdraw his candidacy to head the government, despite the opposition of the United States and its threat to impose sanctions on Baghdad.

However, Al-Maliki, who was nominated by the "coordinating framework" composed mostly of Shiite parties close to Iran, sought to reassure the Americans, by confirming his desire to confine the factions' weapons to the Iraqi state, and his pledge not to allow the embassies in his country to be exposed to any violations, in light of the current tension between Washington and Tehran.

Al-Maliki told Agence France-Presse, "I have no intention of withdrawing at all, because I have respect for the state to which I belong and for its sovereignty and will, and no one has the right to say, 'Don't elect so-and-so and elect so-and-so.'"

He added that the coordinating framework, which constitutes the largest bloc in Parliament, "agreed on this nomination. Therefore, out of respect for the position, I am not withdrawing, and I have said it in many statements, that there is no withdrawal until the end."

The Coordination Framework Alliance announced in January the nomination of Al-Maliki (75 years old) for prime minister, a position he previously held between 2006 and 2014.

However, the nomination was met with sharp opposition from Washington in light of Al-Maliki's closeness to Tehran.

US President Donald Trump said on the X platform late last month, "Because of his crazy policies and ideologies, if he (Maliki) is elected, the United States of America will not provide any assistance to Iraq in the future."

Despite this, the Coordination Framework stuck to its nomination, while Al-Maliki denounced the "blatant" American interference in Iraq's affairs.

"common interests"

In a country that has been an arena for decades of regional and international influence struggle and has begun to gradually recover recently, forming the government and choosing its president, who represents the executive authority, is a complex task that is often affected by the interests and role of the two influential powers, the United States and Iran.

Al-Maliki sought to reassure Washington about some of what it wanted from Baghdad, especially in terms of controlling armed factions loyal to Tehran. He said, "Yes, there is pressure from the American side, and several messages have arrived that have recently settled on demands regarding the state."

He continued, "In fact, America (...) did not bring anything new. These are our demands. We want to (confine) weapons to the state. We want the centralization of military power. We have said it repeatedly: We want one army under one command, directly under the command of the state, without multiple management of the existing weapons."

Al-Maliki reiterated the importance of Iraq balancing its relations between its neighbor Iran, which has wide influence in it, and the United States, which has played a key role since the invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein's regime in 2003.

He said, "We do not neglect the relationship with Iran. We have borders (extending) 1,300 kilometers, and we have common interests."

He added, "If Iran cuts off the natural gas that drives power stations, we will have a major catastrophe in Iraq."

He continued, "We have interests and we have relationships, but they are all based on the basis that Iraq's sovereignty is not affected, but common interests are what drive the relationship."

On the other hand, he stressed that “the relationship with the American side is necessary for the advancement of Iraq.” “Iraq, as a country that wants to develop, needs a strong and large incubating country, and America has experience in embracing countries.”

In light of the escalating tension between Tehran and Washington, Al-Maliki stressed the protection of diplomatic missions in Iraq.

He said, "We will not allow any country that has a diplomatic presence, or any embassies in Iraq, to ​​be attacked by any other party."

He continued, "Let all countries be reassured that we prevent any infringement on their embassies or official interests accredited in Iraq."

France 24/AFP

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