US Threatens Sanctions on Iraq Over Potential Maliki Appointment

According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced Washington’s clear interference in Baghdad’s internal affairs. The ministry stated that it received a message from the United States indicating that sanctions would be imposed on certain Iraqi individuals and entities if Nouri al-Maliki were to be appointed as the caretaker for cabinet formation.

This verbal message, conveyed by the Americans to Baghdad, contained two primary points. The first point implicitly and explicitly referred to the imposition of sanctions by the United States against some Iraqi individuals and entities should the largest parliamentary bloc insist on nominating its current candidate, namely Nouri al-Maliki.

According to the statement from the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the second part of this message also included a set of criteria related to Iraq’s cooperation and joint actions with the United States, particularly concerning the formation of the future government and its operational plans.