![US Secretaries of State and Defense Marco Rubio gives a speech at the State Department in Washington DC, United States on December 8, 2025. [Celal Güneş - Anadolu Agency]](https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/AA-20251208-39928150-39928142-US_HOSTS_AUSTRALIAN_DEFENSE_FOREIGN_MINISTERS_FOR_22_MEETING.jpg)
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday warned Iraq against forming a government loyal to Iran, after Washington raised concerns over the expected return of Nouri al-Maliki as prime minister. Al-Maliki, who left office in 2014 under pressure from the United States, has been nominated for the role by the largest Shia parliamentary bloc in Iraq’s parliament. In a phone call with current Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, Rubio said he hoped the next government would make Iraq “a force for stability, prosperity and security in the Middle East”. US State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said Rubio stressed that “a government controlled by Iran cannot successfully put Iraq’s own interests first, keep Iraq out of regional conflicts, or advance […]
