Washington: Trump publicly criticised Maliki’s potential return on social media, calling it a “very bad choice” and blaming his previous time in office for driving Iraq into “poverty and total chaos.” The former US president said that without American support, Iraq would have “zero chance of success, prosperity or freedom.”

Maliki, a veteran Shiite politician with close ties to Iran-linked groups, was nominated over the weekend by the Coordination Framework, an alliance of Shiite-led parties holding a parliamentary majority, to be Iraq’s next prime minister.

The development comes amid a deepening political impasse in Baghdad. Iraq’s parliament had been set to elect a president on Tuesday, a largely ceremonial role that under Iraq’s informal power-sharing system goes to a Kurd, but the vote was postponed because rivals couldn’t agree on a candidate. Once a president is chosen, that official is expected to formally nominate a prime minister.

Maliki previously served two terms as prime minister from 2006 to 2014, a period marked by fierce sectarian violence and rising extremist threats. He stepped down after the Islamic State took control of large swathes of Iraqi territory. Critics say his leadership favoured sectarian factions and allowed Iran’s influence to grow.

Trump’s threat to withdraw support underscores US concern about the growing influence of Iran-linked groups in Iraq and the broader Middle East. In related diplomacy, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently spoke with Iraq’s incumbent prime minister, expressing worry that a government dominated by Tehran’s allies would not prioritise Iraq’s own interests.