Trump Iraq al Maliki Iran prime minister.

President Donald Trump is warning Iraqi officials that the U.S. would no longer support the country if its former prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, returns to power. Trump made the threat on Tuesday, days after a dominant political bloc known as the Coordination Framework announced it had backed al-Maliki. Trump derided al-Maliki’s previous stewardship of Iraq and warned the U.S. “will no longer help Iraq” if he returns to power. The United States has long viewed al-Maliki as being too close to Iran. Iraq held elections in November but its caretaker prime minister was unable to form a government. That cleared the field for al-Maliki.