Iraqi PM Meets US Syria Envoy, Outlining Baghdad's Role in Syrian File

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – In a development underscoring Iraq’s widening diplomatic engagement in the Syrian file, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani met on Sunday with Tom Barrack, the Special Envoy of U.S. President Donald Trump to Syria, to discuss mechanisms for supporting a long-term political and economic stabilization process across the region.

According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office, the meeting focused on “practical paths through which Iraq can continue supporting Syria’s stability, security, prosperity, and economic recovery,” noting that such efforts simultaneously reinforce Iraq’s own long-term stability. Both sides also reviewed shared concerns over preventing any further regional escalation and emphasized the importance of bolstering diplomacy to resolve disputes and shift the Middle East toward sustained cooperation, economic growth, and durable security.

Barrack, for his part, affirmed what the statement described as Iraq’s “constructive and essential role” in achieving mutual regional objectives, a recognition that comes as Baghdad moves deeper into mediating the Syrian file amid shifting regional alliances and mounting international attention on Syria’s internal transitions.

This latest engagement forms part of a broader Iraqi diplomatic posture that has been steadily expanding throughout 2025, shaped by Baghdad’s national security calculations and the lessons of the war against ISIS. On Oct. 17, 2025, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein laid out the most comprehensive articulation of this policy so far during the Mediterranean Dialogues forum in Naples, where he stated that Iraq is “actively working to support Damascus in a manner that serves Syria’s stability,” stressing that Syria’s security is fundamentally tied to Iraq’s own.

Hussein emphasized that bilateral relations between Baghdad and Damascus are “normal and official,” supported by ongoing meetings aimed at expanding coordination—particularly in counterterrorism operations against ISIS. He reiterated Iraq’s insistence on a non-interference policy while advising Syrian authorities to adopt an inclusive political process that incorporates all social, national, and religious components. “Instability in Syria will have a negative impact on Iraq,” he noted, warning against any recurrence of the conditions that had enabled ISIS to establish a cross-border presence spanning both countries.

The foreign minister’s remarks reflected concerns over the porous Syrian-Iraqi border, which in the past served as a conduit for militants, weapons, and instability. Hussein reminded the forum that Iraq’s counterterrorism experience—won through years of intensive operations—could help strengthen Syria’s efforts to dismantle extremist networks and secure the frontier.

These principles were echoed earlier in March 2025, when Hussein and Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani held high-level talks to enhance cooperation. The two officials highlighted the need for joint operations, coordinated mechanisms, and a potential operational framework to more effectively combat ISIS. They stressed that instability inside Syria produces immediate security repercussions for Iraq, underlining the necessity of securing the shared border and preventing infiltration routes. Al-Shaibani affirmed Syria’s readiness to support Iraq’s anti-terror measures, asserting that stabilizing Syria is inherently linked to Iraq’s own security.

Economic cooperation was also a central topic in the March meeting, with both countries expressing the need to remove commercial barriers and to strengthen trade relations as part of a broader Arab regional integration. The two ministers called for a future based on collective Arab cooperation beyond narrow governmental parameters.

Meanwhile, Iraq’s diplomatic outreach to the emerging Syrian political order has triggered domestic debate. On Apr. 20, 2025, Sudani’s meeting with Syrian Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Doha—also attended by Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani—prompted sharp reactions within Iraq’s political establishment, especially from members of the Coordination Framework. The encounter, described as a quick consultation to address regional instability, focused on advocating an inclusive political settlement in Syria and urging Syrian authorities to intensify counter-ISIS measures.

However, the political controversy escalated when Qais al-Khazali, Secretary-General of Asaib Ahl al-Haq, publicly warned that inviting Sharaa to Baghdad for the Arab League summit would be “premature” and could carry legal consequences. Khazali stressed that Sharaa, a former detainee after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion on charges of al-Qaeda affiliation, remains subject to an active Iraqi arrest warrant. He argued that hosting him would violate the judiciary’s authority, highlighting deeper political sensitivities within Iraq’s governing coalition. Despite this, Sudani’s outreach reflected his ongoing conviction that constructive engagement with Syria’s new political leadership is necessary to prevent the reemergence of extremist threats and to manage the region’s shifting dynamics.

In Sunday’s meeting with Tom Barrack, these layers of security, political, and regional concerns converged. The discussions touched on shared fears of escalating tensions across the Middle East and the mutual belief that the region must avoid plunging into new cycles of conflict. Both sides underlined a diplomatic path that prioritizes reconciliation, economic partnership, and long-term stability—objectives that Iraq views as central to preventing renewed turbulence emanating from Syria.

For Baghdad, the stakes remain clear: without a stable Syria, Iraq’s own security hangs in the balance. And with mounting regional uncertainty, the government continues to frame its diplomatic efforts not as optional foreign policy endeavors, but as essential components of a national security strategy shaped by the traumas of the past and the shifting realities of 2025.

The meeting with Barrack thus represents not merely a bilateral consultation with Washington but a continuation of Iraq’s broader pivot toward a proactive, preventative diplomacy—one that aims to shield the country from future shocks by ensuring that Syria’s diplomatic, political, and security trajectory moves toward inclusivity, stability, and cooperation rather than fragmentation and renewed conflict.