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Analysis

What’s behind Trump Naming ’Special Envoy’ to Iraq?

Tuesday 21 October 2025
What’s behind Trump Naming ’Special Envoy’ to Iraq?

Alwaght- The US President Donald Trump who is seeking new objectives in West Asia and is trying to reshape this region based on the Israeli interests has new plans for countries unaligned to the American policies. Meanwhile, Iraq as a country enjoying a proper geopolitical position and rich energy resources has become one of the core aims of his foreign policy.

Though the US has the biggest embassy in Baghdad with a large number of staff, Trump has decided to name a special envoy to Iraq to advance Washington's policies on this country.

In a message on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump announced "I am pleased to announce that Mark Sawaya will become special envoy to the Republic of Iraq." 

He hailed the diplomat's deep familiarity with the Iraqi-American relations and his influential regional connections. According to to Trump, Sawaya will be a significant role in advancing the American interests in West Asia.

Who is Sawaya?

Mark Sawaya is an Iraqi-American entrepreneur from the Detroit area and the founder of a marijuana dispensary. Sawaya was a key figure in Trump's electoral campaign in the state of Michigan and greatly helped in garnering American Muslim votes for Trump. In his advertisements, he used billboards with the slogan "Come and get it, free marijuana," which was met with criticism from local officials.

Furthermore, he is known as an influencer on Instagram. According to reports and published pictures on social media, Sawaya has a close relationship with Trump and has posted photos on his account of attending events and being on the golf course with him.

American media say this appointment once again demonstrates the closeness of Trump's loyal circles to his decision-making structure, even in the sensitive domain of foreign policy.

This appointment comes just one week after the signing of a ceasefire agreement between the Israeli regime and Hamas, which, given Trump's statements and plans, is expected to open a new chapter in the regional arena.

Aims behind naming special envoy to Iraq

Trump's aim behind picking a special envoy to Iraq goes beyond ordinary diplomatic relations. This decision, many agree, shows that the Trump administration intends to directly handle Iraq case in the White House for the American policies to advance faster and with effective oversight.

In his second term in office, Trump intends to complete the unfinished job of normalizing relations between Arab states and the Israeli regime under the so-called Abraham Accords. He believes that by expanding the circle of normalization, he can guarantee the security of Israel and solidify Tel Aviv's position in West Asia.

In this effort, Iraq is a key country that Trump is trying to push, through political and economic pressure, into the normalization camp alongside Saudi Arabia.

Furthermore, Trump, who entered politics with a businessman's mindset, always prioritizes economic interests in his decisions. Therefore, his selection of a special envoy for Iraq can be seen as a calculated step to guarantee Washington's access to this country's vast oil and gas resources.

At the Sharm El-Sheikh summit, Trump explicitly stated that Iraq has enormous oil reserves but does not know how to use them. He had previously emphasized that the United States has spent over $7 trillion in the region and expects regional Arab countries, including Iraq, to compensate for a portion of these costs.

With these statements, Trump sends the message that Iraqis lack the necessary capability to manage and effectively utilize their own oil and gas resources, and that these resources would be better used if they were under American control and guidance.

Such positions are consistent with Trump's overall view of the region, which sees energy resources as a key tool for advancing American economic and geopolitical goals. This demonstrates that Washington's presence in West Asia is designed not merely for security, but to control and exploit strategic energy resources.

This perspective also sets the stage for increased political and economic pressure on the Baghdad government to align with Washington's policies on energy and oil contracts.

So, naming a special envoy to Iraq will allow the US to directly play a role in Iraq's economic and energy decisions outside thd diplomatic frameworks and paved the way for new contacts with the US companies. Meanwhile, the contracts signed between the American companies and Iraqi Kurdistan region are regarded within this economic view.

On the other hand, Trump's objective in appointing a special envoy to Iraq is to counter the growing influence of resistance groups in the country. Trump believes that the clout of these factions, which have close ties to Iran and the Axis of Resistance, obstructs the realization of US goals in Iraq and the wider region.

Therefore, with just three weeks remaining until Iraq's parliamentary elections, Sawaya has been tasked with leveraging Washington-aligned political blocs to curb the influence of the resistance groups and steer the Baghdad government toward alignment with Washington's policies.

The US has very well understood that the resistance groups in Iraq form a solid bulwark against the implementation of its agenda. Washington knows that as long as these factions maintain significant influence, any effort to dominate Iraq's political, economic, and security spheres is doomed to fail.

Directing Iraq's sovereignty structures

Ordinarily, the US does not seek constructive with governments of countries to which it names special envoys. Actually, these appointments are meant to destabilize these countries and trigger fundamental changes in the security and political structures of the countries. Such measures allow Washington to tighten its grip within a target nation's governmental institutions and security apparatus, suppress opposing political currents, and steer the country's domestic politics to serve US strategic interests and objectives.

For instance, Thomas Barrack , the US special envoy for Syria, was tasked with paving the way for a Washington-backed political transition after the ouster of Bashar al-Assad. In Lebanon, too, his mission focused on undermining Hezbollah and guaranteeing the security of Israel, aiming to co-opt Beirut's political leadership into aligning with Washington's policies and, ultimately, pushing them toward normalizing relations with Israel.

Furthermore, figures like Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner were entrusted with similar missions concerning Iran and the Palestinian conflict. These cases like other regional initiatives under Trump, which place a primary emphasis on guaranteeing Tel Aviv's security, directly shape the White House policy.

In fact, all of the American policies over the past two years to sway the region politically and economically have revolved around ensuring Israeli interests and security. Naming Sawaya falls within the framework of this policy and it is actually an effort to expand Washington's control over Iraq and align its policies with the Israeli and American goals. 

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US Iraq Trump Special Envoy Resistance Groups Energy

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