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US Syria envoy tells Baghdad that Iraqi factions must cut support for Hezbollah
The US envoy to Syria Tom Barrack told Iraqi factions linked to the governing coalition to prevent Iran-backed forces in the country from assisting Hezbollah.
2 min read
Tom Barrack in the Oval Office at the White House, 25 September 2025. [Getty]
US Syria envoy Tom Barrack has warned Iraq's Shia-dominated government coalition to ensure that Iran-backed militias in the country do not provide any assistance to Hezbollah, as Israel threatens to escalate its conflict with the Lebanese group.
Barrack held a 70-minute meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani in Baghdad on Sunday to discuss recent developments in Lebanon and Iraq's role in stabilising Syria, senior Iraqi sources told Al Araby Al Jadeed, the Arabic-language sister site of The New Arab.
An Iraqi government advisor, who asked not to be named, said Barrack delivered a message urging Baghdad to prevent groups providing military and financial support to Hezbollah.
Some factions inside the Shiite Coordination Framework are backed by Iran and are linked to paramilitaries allied with Hezbollah.
Barrack also called on the Iraqi government to remain on the sidelines in the event of any escalation in the region.
Iraq is in the process of forming a new government following last month's legislative elections, which returned the Coordination Framework as the largest parliamentary bloc but diminished Sudani's chances of a second term.
The visit comes as Israel threatens to expand attacks against Hezbollah, using the political deadlock in Lebanon around the disarming of the militia as a pretext to launch a wave of attacks in southern Lebanon and Beirut.
In a major escalation, Israel last week assassinated one of Hezbollah's most senior commanders in an airstrike in southern Beirut.
Barrack and Sudani also discussed "practical ways in which Iraq can continue to support Syria's stability, security, prosperity, and economic recovery", the Iraqi Prime Minister's Office said in a statement.
Another source said the visit was aimed at explaining the Trump administration's position on Syria and recent developments in Lebanon.
"The Americans don't want Iraq to interfere in the affairs of Syria or Lebanon, specifically the armed factions allied with Iran," the anonymous source stated.
Barrack's remarks came ahead of an expected visit to the country by the Trump administration's new Iraq envoy Mark Savaya.
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