Iraq's Shi'ite bloc reaffirms backing for Maliki

Iraq's alliance of Shi'ite political blocs, the Coordination Framework, reaffirmed on Saturday its support for former premier Nouri al-Maliki to lead the next government, despite a warning from ⁠U.S. President Donald Trump that Washington would no longer help Iraq if Maliki returned to power.



The bloc, which holds a majority ⁠in parliament, picked Maliki, Iraq's first elected prime minister after a U.S.-led invasion toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003, as its nominee for the post following an election.



According to a statement from the Coordination Framework, the choice of ⁠the prime minister is a purely Iraqi constitutional matter and should proceed without foreign interference, adding that it seeks balanced relations with international partners based on mutual respect.



Trump's threats are the starkest example yet of the Republican president's campaign to curb Iran-linked groups' influence in Iraq, which has long walked a tightrope between its two closest allies, Washington and Tehran.