Iraqi FM and presidential candidate Fuad Hussein confirmed that Mark Savaya no longer serves as President Donald Trump’s envoy to Iraq, noting that Tom Barrack now oversees the Iraqi portfolio.

Riyadh is no longer willing to position itself within “Israel’s” camp or play a subordinate role in regional arrangements, instead seeking to act as an independent power able to maneuver and impose its own terms.

Trump is weighing a major new strike on Iran after preliminary discussions between Washington and Tehran over limiting the country’s nuclear program and ballistic missile production failed to make progress.

As Trump threatens to strike Iran if the authorities move to kill protesters, Tehran has relied on Iraqi militias loyal to it to help suppress demonstrations that erupted across the country on December 28, 2025, sparked by a sharp economic downturn.

Trump’s pullback from striking Iran exposed the regime’s resilience while he continued calling for a change in leadership.