President Donald Trump has named US Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack special presidential envoy to Iraq and Syria, placing one diplomat over three countries at the center of US policy on Iran, Kurdish forces and Syria’s transition.
Trump gives a promotion to Barrack, makes him Special Presidential Envoy for both Iraq and Syria, on top his ambassadorship to Turkey.
Music to Erdogan’s ears.
And despite all the pro-Israeli lobbying. pic.twitter.com/tvLSOqlWz2
— Ragıp Soylu (@ragipsoylu) May 31, 2026
Trump announced the appointment on Sunday on Truth Social, saying Barrack “will be named Special Presidential Envoy to Syria and, likewise, Special Presidential Envoy to Iraq” as Washington expands cooperation with the governments in Damascus and Baghdad.
Trump said Barrack would remain ambassador to Turkey and work with the backing of the US Department of State.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio had said on May 29 that Barrack’s earlier title as US special envoy to Syria was expiring but that he would continue to lead work for the Trump administration in Syria and Iraq. Rubio later described Barrack as a “central interlocutor on Syria” and a “key trusted hand on Iraq.”
Barrack, a private equity executive and longtime Trump ally, was confirmed by the US Senate as ambassador to Turkey in April 2025. He took over the Syria file in May 2025 as the Trump administration moved to lift sanctions on Syria after rebels ousted Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, ending 14 years of civil war.
The appointment expands Barrack’s role to Iraq, where Washington has sought to limit Iran’s influence in Baghdad. Iraq’s parliament approved a partial government led by Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi on May 14 after months of political deadlock. Zaidi still lacks ministers for several posts, including interior and defense, two ministries tied to US concerns over Iran-backed armed groups.
The previous US special envoy to Iraq, Mark Savaya, was no longer in the post by February.
Barrack has been a subject of controversy in Turkey due to his strong support for President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan despite his anti-democratic practices.
Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Özgür Özel, who was removed from the chairmanship by a court order last week that he claims was a move by Erdoğan, in April called Barrack “persona non grata” for Turkish democracy after the US ambassador said at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum that strong leadership systems, including “benevolent monarchies” and constitutional monarchy-style structures, had worked in the Middle East, while countries pressured in the name of democracy and human rights had failed.
Özel accused Barrack of criticizing democracy and praising monarchy in the country founded by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, who abolished the Ottoman sultanate after Turkey’s War of Independence and established the republic in 1923.
“From this moment on, Tom Barrack is an unwanted person, an unwanted man, persona non grata for Turkish democracy,” Özel said, calling on him to retract his remarks and apologize.
The term “persona non grata” is used in diplomacy for a foreign official declared unacceptable by a host government. Özel’s statement does not amount to a formal Turkish government declaration but rather reflected opposition anger over Barrack’s comments at a time when critics accuse President Erdoğan’s government of turning Turkey into an autocracy.