Iraqi minister's past attacks on Trump–Iraq dialogue resurface after Sudani meeting

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani's recent meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump has revived criticism of Communications Minister Mustafa al-Sadd, with social media users circulating his earlier statements in which he denounced Iraqi officials who engaged with the U.S. president. In remarks previously shared online, al-Sadd said those who "sit with Trump and act soft" were pursuing a "pitiful policy" that deserved condemnation. The posts resurfaced during the same period in which al-Sadd met Iran's communications minister in a meeting framed as expanding cooperation with Tehran, prompting questions about his stance toward the wider partnership Washington has built with the Sudani government. According to the posts, Sudani's government has opened broader channels of cooperation with the United States in economic and technical fields while maintaining contacts with Iran. Trump was said to have raised the file on the killing of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani and former Popular Mobilization Forces chief Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, though Iraqi officials have remained silent on the matter. Al-Sadd's silence on the Washington talks has drawn attention to the distance between his past rhetoric as an opposition figure and his current position in the cabinet. Political observers noted that politicians who adopted harsh language in opposition often shift tone once in government, and said such rhetorical pivots tend to be remembered long after they occur.