US warns that an Iran-installed government in Iraq 'will not be successful’

ISTANBUL

US Ambassador to Türkiye and Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack warned Monday that Washington will not work effectively with an Iranian-installed government in Iraq.

"On Iraq, the US position remains clear: a government installed by Iran will not be successful, neither for Iraqi or Syrian aspirations for a brighter future, nor for an effective partnership with the United States," Barrack wrote on the US social media company X’s platform.

He made the comments after holding a "productive phone call" with Masoud Barzani, the leader of northern Iraq's Kurdistan Democratic Party, to discuss the situation in Syria and maintaining the ceasefire between Damascus and the YPG/SDF terror group.

Barrack also emphasized the importance of ensuring that humanitarian assistance reaches those in need in Ayn al-Arab in Aleppo province.

He earlier said that Iraq establishing a government that maintains cooperation with its neighbors and the West is essential to regional stability and prosperity.

Ayn al-Arab district remains under occupation by the YPG/SDF, with Damascus extending a ceasefire with the terror group by 15 days on Saturday.

Barrack's call with Barzani came after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani held a phone call Sunday. The two discussed Iraq’s “ongoing deliberations" to form a government, underlining a "shared commitment" to ensuring that the country can realize its potential "as a force for stability, prosperity, and security in the Middle East," according to the US State Department.