ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday announced that Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack will "continue to play a leading role" in both Iraq and Syria as his tenure in the position comes to an end and "deliver wins on behalf of our great country."

Appointed to the position in May 2025, Barrack took on duties relating to Syria in addition to his role as the US ambassador to Turkey, emerging as Washington's man on the ground when it came to managing the country's transition under the new leadership of interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

The businessman-turned-diplomat also assumed the Iraq portfolio after Mark Savaya's short-lived tenure as Special Envoy to Iraq fizzled out for unknown reasons.

"Ambassador Tom Barrack has played an invaluable role as our Special Envoy to Syria," Rubio wrote on X. "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."

Barrack's tenure as envoy saw him intimately involved in efforts to lift US sanctions on Syria imposed during the era of Bashar al-Assad, securing economic breathing room for the new administration and helping to orchestrate Sharaa's visit to the White House that boosted the new Damascus government's perceived international legitimacy.

He also emerged as a key actor in mediating a ceasefire and integration deal between the Syrian government and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) after the former's military incursion into Rojava (northeast Syria) in Janaury 2026, repeatedly meeting with leading figures from the respective sides and working in conjunction with Kurdistan Region authorities to secure a peace accord.

However, the billionaire real estate investor has enjoyed his fair share of controversy in the post. He has been criticized by both Kurds and Israelis for his perceived alignment with Ankara's foreign policy objectives, and his assertion that "benevolent monarchy" works better in the Middle East than democracy sparked polemic.

Barrack, who is himself of Lebanese descent, also caused a stir in his ancestral country after he called Lebanese journalists attending a press conference "animalistic" and urged them to be "civilized."

"The moment this starts becoming chaotic — like, animalistic — we’re gone. So, you want to know what’s happening? Act civilized, act kind, act tolerant, because this is the problem with what is happening in the region," he told the media mob in August 2025.

The secretary of state's assertion that he will continue to operate on Washington's behalf with the purview of Iraq and Syria suggests that Barrack's diplomatic efforts and vision for Washington's future for the Middle East will continue in the near term, offering the new premiership of Ali al-Zaidi in the former country a key avenue through which to cultivate ties with the region's foremost external power.