Washington: Mark Sawaya, who was appointed special envoy for Iraq by US President Donald Trump in October, is no longer in this role. According to sources familiar with the matter, this change has happened at a time when there is increased tension in the relations between America and Iraq due to the increasing influence of Iran. Mark Sawaya is a Christian Iraqi-American businessman and is considered close to Trump. During the 2024 presidential election, Trump tried to woo Arab and Muslim voters in many areas of America including Detroit, under the same strategy Sawaya was given important responsibility.

Why did America remove it?

However, it is now not clear what was the concrete reason for his departure and whether a new special envoy will be appointed in his place. Sources say that the White House was dissatisfied with some decisions related to Sawaya. The most important case among these is considered to be the failure to stop the attempt of former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to become Prime Minister again. Trump had openly warned Baghdad that if Maliki was brought back to power, America would stop aid to Iraq. The US has long accused Maliki of escalating communal tensions and ignoring the rise of Islamic State during his tenure.

Who will be the face of America in Iran?

Meanwhile, it is believed in American diplomatic circles that now the work related to Iraq can be handled by US Ambassador and Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack. Barrack recently visited Erbil, where he met with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces. However, the Barrack spokesperson has refused to comment on this. The US State Department referred questions to the White House, but there was no official response from there either. While speaking to Reuters, Sawaya claimed that there has been no change in his role and he is still engaged in administrative processes. But sources say that Sawaya never formally became an employee of the State Department.

What is Trump’s strategy?

Interestingly, Sawaya’s social media account also got closed suddenly in recent times. He did not give any clarification on this also. It is being told that he was to go to Iraq last Friday and meet senior leaders there, but that visit was canceled at the last moment. This entire incident is being considered a part of Trump’s strategy, under which he wants to limit the influence of pro-Iran groups in Iraqi politics. Iraq has been trying to strike a balance between America and Iran for a long time.