President Donald Trump urged Iraqis on Tuesday not to reinstate controversial former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki for a new term, citing his and severe mismanagement of the country’s economy and security situation.

Trump posted on the : “I’m hearing that the Great Country of Iraq might make a very bad choice by reinstalling Nouri al-Maliki as Prime Minister. Last time Maliki was in power, the Country descended into poverty and total chaos. That should not be allowed to happen again. Because of his insane policies and ideologies, if elected, the United States of America will no longer help Iraq and, if we are not there to help, Iraq has ZERO chance of Success, Prosperity, or Freedom. MAKE IRAQ GREAT AGAIN!” 

A parliamentary session scheduled for Tuesday to elect a president—who would then appoint the prime minister—was called off due to a lack of quorum.

Al-Maliki retaliated against Trump on Wednesday, stating: “We reject the blatant American interference in Iraq’s internal affairs and consider it a violation of its sovereignty.”

The Trump administration strongly opposes al-Maliki’s efforts to secure a third term because of his close ties to — a state-sponsor of terrorism, according to the U.S. State Department.

Al-Maliki’s prior premiership (2006 to 2014) was marred by sectarian violence, including reports that he failed to form an inclusive government that did not discriminate against Iraqi Kurds and Sunni Muslims in favor of Shiite Muslims.

Secretary of State told caretaker Prime Minister al-Sudani on Sunday that the U.S. was worried about a pro-Iran government seizing control of Iraq.

“The Secretary emphasized that a government controlled by Iran cannot successfully put Iraq’s own interests first, keep Iraq out of regional conflicts, or advance the mutually beneficial partnership between the United States and Iraq,” said U.S. State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott.

Al-Maliki left office after his second term in 2014, following the Obama administration’s growing frustration with his security failures that allowed the Islamic State to rise that same year across large parts of Iraq and Syria. 

Al-Sudani won the most seats in November’s parliamentary elections but withdrew his candidacy this month. The 75-year-old al-Maliki, a member of the Shiite Islamist Dawa Party, entered the political race and gained backing from the Coordination Framework—a coalition of Shia parties that is the largest parliamentary bloc.

Entifadh Qanbar, a former spokesman for Iraq’s deputy prime minister, told Digital that “Iran has exercised tremendous influence over Iraq. personally ‘blessed’ Nouri al-Maliki’s nomination. Even if Maliki is ultimately dropped, Iran will simply nominate another candidate who is secretly acceptable to Washington. That individual may even be given leeway to say the right things publicly in order to appease the U.S., while remaining fully aligned with Tehran behind the scenes.”

Qanbar, who worked as a civil engineer in Iraq, added: “As for the Iraqi elections, the process itself has been systematically engineered to ensure that Iran’s proxies win without meaningful resistance. These elections are not contests between Iranian-backed factions and genuine alternatives; rather, they are mechanisms to divide votes among groups already approved by Iran. Any real dissent has been banned, imprisoned, or eliminated.”

He noted: “I have often used the analogy that Iraqi elections resemble a soccer match with only one goal, no goalkeeper and only one team allowed on the field,” and warned: “the United States fails to see these structural manipulations.”

An Iraqi Kurdish official also echoed the view that Iran has gained greater control of Iraqi power politics. The official told Digital: “Under Sudani’s government, Iran’s proxies have doubled on the state payroll and receive over $3 billion a year. He established the Muhandes company — the PMF’s investment wing, securing public contracts and buying weapons.”

The Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) is an umbrella organization of Shiite militias loyal to the Islamic Republic of Iran. The PMF wields enormous power in Iraq.

The Iraqi Kurdish official said: “Economically, Iran’s oil blending in Basra has been formalized with official state support. Financially, Iraq’s state and private banks have funneled billions in U.S. dollar bills into Iran under Sudani, bringing Tehran critical relief against .”

The official added: “Iran, of course, has always been ahead of the curve in Iraq. When the pro-Western candidate Ayad Allawi beat Maliki in the 2010 elections, it was the Americans who handed Maliki a second term — an odd moment of alignment with Iran against their own preferred outcome.” He said he hopes the U.S. won’t make the same mistake again.