Rubio says Trump Barrack’s ambassador to Syria should resign | Political Affairs

Trump’s Secretary of State Tom Barrack to step down from Syria post but retain responsibility for directing US policy in Syria and Iraq.

US Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack will step down after the end of his term of office, but will continue to play a key role in Syria and Iraq, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has announced.

Barrack, a billionaire real estate investor and confidante of President Donald Trump, has served as the top envoy to Syria since May 2025, while also serving as the US ambassador to Turkey.

“Ambassador Tom Barrack has played an important role as our special envoy to Syria,” Rubio wrote in a statement posted on the social network X. “Although this chapter ends, he will continue to play a key role in the Trump Administration in Syria and Iraq, where his skills, relationships, and understanding of the America First agenda will continue to deliver success on behalf of our great country.”

“Barrack’s special envoy is over, but his mandate is not over, and he is still Washington’s leader in Syria, Iraq, and Turkey,” Nanar Hawach, senior Syria expert at the International Crisis Group, told Al Jazeera.

“The timeout makes little difference in performance, because they were already syncing the three files before the timeout.” By keeping him in place without naming a successor, Washington is showing that it wants to continue with its current acquisition rather than restarting Syria.”

Throughout his years as the Syrian envoy, Barrack has overseen Washington’s role in overseeing the Assad regime of Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa. He has strongly influenced US policy by pushing for increased economic sanctions on Damascus and improving operations against the Islamic State alongside its allies in the region, including Turkey and the Gulf Arab states.

The private equity mogul raised a large amount of money from Emirati funds. While he was acquitted in 2022 of government charges that he acted as an unregistered agent in Abu Dhabi, his connections have always raised questions about the Gulf economy on US policy.

Barrack’s regime in Syria has also drawn much attention. His mediation between the ceasefire agreement and the merger between Damascus and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) drew criticism from the Kurdish leadership, which accused Washington of abandoning its long-time allies in favor of government officials.

He also sparked controversy in Lebanon after warning journalists at a controversial press conference to do “civility” and not “animalism”.

His public claims that a “benevolent monarchy” and authoritarian rule are more suitable for the Middle East than democracy have caused controversy, while opposition leaders in Turkey, where he is ambassador, regularly criticize him for acting like a “colonial governor”.

State Department officials have not yet announced a replacement for Syria’s envoy.