On the evening of Sunday, 26 Mehr, in an unexpected move, Donald Trump, President of the United States, handed over another sensitive government position related to trade and U.S. liaison with Iraq to one of his most loyal allies.
This time, he appointed someone outside the traditional Republican establishment, a figure of Iraqi-Chaldean origin — Mark Savaya, a well-known businessman in the field of medical marijuana-based pharmaceuticals.
Trump announced the appointment of Mark Savaya as Special Presidential Envoy for Iraq Affairs through a post on his social media platform Truth Social on Sunday night.
Mark Savaya, a businessman from Detroit, Michigan, is active on social media, particularly Instagram, and has been seen multiple times alongside Trump in public appearances and photos.
Trump wrote about him:
“I am pleased to announce that Mark Savaya has been appointed as Special Envoy for Iraq Affairs. His deep understanding of Iraq and the United States, along with his regional network, can help advance the interests of the American people.”
Trump also emphasized that Savaya played a key role in his presidential campaign in Michigan, helping attract significant votes from Muslim and Arab-American communities, adding:
“Mark was one of the main figures supporting my campaign in Michigan. He and others helped secure a considerable portion of Muslim-American votes. Congratulations, Mark!”
The state of Michigan and the city of Detroit are among the regions with the highest concentration of Arabs, Iraqis, and Muslims in the United States, and votes from these communities can decisively influence the outcome of the presidential election.
In the previous election, Trump secured 49% of the vote in Michigan, while Kamala Harris received 48.3%. Nearly 5% of Michigan’s population is Muslim.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Savaya has no prior official experience in governmental or administrative positions at the local, state, or federal level, making this appointment a sign of Trump’s personal trust and a politically unconventional selection.
Savaya, of Iraqi-Chaldean descent, lives in Detroit, where he runs a chain of private pharmacies called “Leaf & Bud,” operating in the field of medical cannabis-related therapeutic products.
After the announcement, Savaya wrote on his personal Instagram account:
“I am deeply honored and grateful to President Donald Trump for appointing me as his Special Envoy for Iraq Affairs. I remain committed to strengthening U.S.-Iraq relations under the leadership of President Trump. Thank you, Mr. President.”
Savaya was born in Iraq in 1985 and immigrated to the United States in the 1990s with his family.
A Bad Sign for Iran
One of the first to react to the appointment was Elizabeth Tsurkov, a Russian-Israeli researcher who had been held hostage for years by Iran-backed armed groups in Iraq (Kataib Hezbollah) and was recently released. She described the move as bitter news for Iran and a serious warning to the Iranian regime.
She wrote:
“Congratulations to Mark Savaya on this important appointment. Mark played a significant role in my release after 903 days of captivity by Kataib Hezbollah — an Iraqi militia serving Iran — without giving any concessions to Hezbollah. This is bad news for anyone serving Iran’s interests in Iraq and seeking to undermine Iraqi sovereignty.”
Report: Shahram Mirzaei
