Trump gives U.S. ambassador to Turkey expanded role in Syria and Iraq

 

(Background) US ambassador to Turkey and special envoy for Syria Tom Barrack speaks during a joint press conference following his meeting with Lebanon’s president at the Presidential Palace in Baabda on August 18, 2025. (Photo by ANWAR AMRO/AFP via Getty Images) / (Insert) US President Donald Trump speaks during the National Memorial Day Observance at the Memorial Amphitheatre in Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia on May 25, 2026.

United States Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack is gaining an expanded role in the region, being named the special presidential envoy to both Syria and Iraq, President Donald Trump announced.

Barrack has also been serving as the special envoy to Syria, a title that recently expired, Secretary of State Marco Rubio explained.

“Ambassador Tom [Barrack] has played an invaluable role as our Special Envoy to Syria. While that title is expiring, he will continue to play a leading role for the Trump Administration in both Syria and Iraq, where his expertise, relationships, and understanding of the America First agenda will continue to deliver wins on behalf of our great country,” Rubio posted to social media on Friday.

The president reported the expanded responsibilities for Barrack in a Sunday Truth Social post. 

 

“I am pleased to announce that United States Ambassador to Türkiye, Tom Barrack, who has done an outstanding job, will be named Special Presidential Envoy to Syria and, likewise, Special Presidential Envoy to Iraq, as we advance our strategic cooperation with the Governments of Syria and Iraq, our relationship with them continues to grow!” Trump said.

“Tom will remain Ambassador to Türkiye, and operate with the full backing of the United States Department of State,” he added.

Trump nominated Barrack to serve as the ambassador to Turkey in March, 2025, and he was confirmed by the Senate in April of that year, according to the U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Türkiye. In May of last year, Barrack was appointed to the role of special envoy for Syria.

“He will continue to play a vital role, not only as our Ambassador to the Republic of Türkiye, but also as we advance the President’s strategic cooperation with the government in Syria and begin our work with the new government in Iraq,” Rubio said of Barrack on Saturday.

Following the collapse of the Bashar al-Assad regime and his ouster in 2024, the U.S. has been working to strengthen diplomatic relations with the Middle Eastern country under the presidency of Ahmed al-Sharaa. According to reporting by the Associated Press, the U.S. State Department notified congressional committees earlier this year relating an “intent to implement a phased approach to potentially resume embassy operations in Syria.” The U.S. embassy in Syria closed in 2012.

Last month, Trump congratulated Ali al-Zaidi on his nomination for Iraq’s prime minister, a position he was subsequently confirmed in.