Tom Barrack arrives in Baghdad to meet PM Ali al-Zaidi

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – US special presidential envoy to Iraq Tom Barrack arrived in Baghdad on Monday to meet with Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi to discuss a bilateral partnership between the United States and Iraq.

“Happy and honored to be back in Baghdad, meeting with our great U.S. Embassy team led by Chargé d’Affaires Joshua Harris,” Barrack said in a statement on X.

“Today I will meet with Prime Minister Al-Zaidi to convey President Trump’s support for his government and discuss our partnership on a new direction for a strong and mutually beneficial US-Iraq relationship,” Barrack added.

Barrack’s appearance in Baghdad comes after months of heated debate about how the Trump administration will negotiate the difficult security situation in Iraq amid regional tensions.

Washington looks to be moving away from the responsive stance of prior years toward cooperation that serves the interests of both countries.

In late May, US President Donald Trump appointed Tom Barrack as the special presidential envoy to Iraq while he continues to serve as the special presidential envoy to Syria and as the US ambassador to Turkey.

The step was part of strategic engagement with the governments in the two countries.

Barrack’s appointment follows Mark Savaya’s brief time as special envoy to Iraq, which ended for unexplained reasons.