US special envoy for Iraq Mark Savaya no longer in the post, sources say

Mark Savaya, named by U.S. President Donald Trump as special envoy for Iraq in October, is no longer in that role, sources familiar with the move said.



The move comes amid growing tensions between Washington and Baghdad over Washington's push to curb Iranian influence in Iraqi politics.



Savaya, a Christian Iraqi-American entrepreneur, was among a handful of Arab Americans named to senior posts by Trump, who campaigned heavily during the 2024 presidential election to win the Arab and Muslim vote in Detroit and around the country.



It was not immediately clear what prompted Savaya's departure or whether a replacement would be appointed.



One of the sources pointed to Savaya's "mishandling" of key situations, including his failure to prevent the nomination of former Iraqi prime minister Nouri al-Maliki to be the country's next premier, a move Trump openly warned Baghdad against.



U.S. ambassador to Turkey and special envoy to Syria Tom Barrack, who traveled to Erbil earlier this week to meet with Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, is believed to be taking over the State Department's Iraq portfolio, according to the source and a senior Iraqi official.