Al-Maliki: I have no intention of withdrawing, and our relationship with Iran is based on common interests.
Al-Maliki: I have no intention of withdrawing, and our relationship with Iran is based on common interests.
2026-02-23 04:20
Shafaq News – Baghdad
On Monday, Nouri al-Maliki, leader of the State of Law Coalition, confirmed that he has no intention of withdrawing from the race for prime minister, while stressing the need to restrict weapons to the state.
Al-Maliki said in an interview with AFP, “I have no intention of ever withdrawing, because I respect the country I belong to, its sovereignty and its will, and no one has the right to say, ‘Do not elect so-and-so, elect so-and-so.'”
He pointed out that the coordinating framework “agreed on this nomination. Therefore, out of respect for the position, I will not withdraw, and I have said it in many statements, that there will be no withdrawal until the end.”
In the same context, Maliki stressed his commitment to restricting weapons to the state, a demand also made by the United States .
He said: “Yes, there is pressure from the American side, and multiple messages have arrived that have recently settled on demands concerning the state.”
He continued: “In reality, America has not brought anything new. These are our demands. We want weapons to be exclusively in the hands of the state. We want the military to be centralized.”
Al-Maliki added: “We have said it repeatedly: We want one army under one command, and a conference directly under the command of the state, without multiple management of existing weapons.”
He also affirmed his rejection of any attack on diplomatic missions in his country, amid the escalation between Iran and the United States .
He pointed out that “we will not allow any country with a diplomatic presence, or any embassies in Iraq, to be confronted by any other party. Let all countries rest assured that we will prevent any transgression against their embassies or their official interests accredited in Iraq.”
Well-informed political sources told Shafaq News Agency yesterday, Sunday, that the leader of the State of Law Coalition, Nouri al-Maliki, insists that any decision to withdraw his nomination for the presidency of the new, faltering government must be issued by a majority of the leaders of the Coordination Framework exclusively, and not as a result of external pressure .
A responsible source within the coordination framework confirmed to the agency that the deadline given by the United States to the Shiite coordination framework to withdraw Nouri al-Maliki’s nomination for prime minister will end this Sunday evening .
Informed sources had indicated, two days earlier, that the forces of the Coordination Framework were planning to hold an expanded meeting to end the political deadlock by deciding on Nouri al-Maliki’s nomination for the premiership, either by keeping him or replacing him .
The “coordination framework,” which includes ruling Shiite political forces in Iraq, is witnessing a division over the nomination of Maliki for the next government, amid American warnings of the repercussions of his selection, which prompted forces within the coalition to try to persuade him to withdraw in order to preserve the unity of the framework .
The escalating American pressure on Iraq comes as a translation of President Donald Trump’s explicit threats, which included criticism of the previous course taken by former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, when he assumed the premiership during two consecutive terms between 2006 and 2014 .
On January 24, 2026, the Coordination Framework announced the nomination of Nouri al-Maliki, head of the State of Law Coalition, for the position of Prime Minister, with a majority vote from its constituent groups.
shafaq.com
