Tom Barrack is an American businessman of Lebanese origin serving as U.S. Ambassador to Turkey and Special Presidential Envoy to Syria and Iraq. Known for his close ties to Donald Trump and background in private equity and Middle East business networks. Recently, Barrack has been active in Syria-Israel-Turkey diplomacy, publicly criticizing Israeli airstrikes on Syria and working to establish deconfliction mechanisms. Last updated 3 days ago
REPORT: The State Department has provided the White House with a file detailing what it described as Ambassador Tom Barrack’s “biggest screwups” over the past 2 years, according to Laura Loomer.
Loomer cited a White House source as saying Barrack’s friendship with President Trump is currently protecting him from being fired, while State Department officials reportedly want him recalled as soon as possible.
While the U.S. recognizes Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights in northern Israel, U.S. envoy Tom Barrack recently said in an interview that Israel “occupies” the Golan.
He has since clarified that this was only a historical description, not a change in policy, and that U.S. recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan remains unchanged.
U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack: Israel raised concerns for five days before bombing craters into two Syrian runways. Turkey was not notified, and Israeli jets came within 80 kilometers of its border.
Barrack said Syria had told Mossad there were no Turkish military, convoys, or armaments in the area. A U.S.-backed fusion cell had been set up, and both sides expected the dialogue to continue.
US Special Envoy Tom Barrack: "Syria's ability to maintain safe and reliable civilian aviation within the country depends on having functioning civilian radar infrastructure. We remain convinced that this technical requirement should not constitute a security concern."
The strike on a Syrian airbase "carried a real risk of rapid escalation into a direct military confrontation between Israel and Turkey as well as Syria," U.S. special envoy to Syria Tom Barrack tells the Jerusalem Post.
Barrack: Turkish forces did not know Israeli aircraft were en route to the base or their purpose, and could have scrambled their own jets believing they were under attack.
US Special Envoy for Syria Barrack: A deconfliction mechanism involving Israel, Syria and Turkey is actively being worked on. He said the recent Israeli strikes on a Syrian airbase reflect the perception that Turkey may increase its presence there in the near future.
U.S. envoy Barrack: Turkey was not warned of the Israeli strikes and could have reasonably prepared its own response. Work is underway on a deconfliction mechanism involving Israel, Syria and Turkey.
We are deeply concerned that the confirmed Israeli airstrikes on Abu al-Duhur Airbase constitute an unnecessary escalation that does not advance regional stability.
The Al-Sharaa government has neith...
US Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack:
We are deeply concerned that the confirmed Israeli airstrikes on Abu al-Duhur Airbase constitute an unnecessary escalation that does not advance regional stability.
The Al-Sharaa government has neither adopted a predatory posture nor maintained proxy forces. It has, in fact, repeatedly indicated a preference for de-escalation with Israel.
The United States has in the past, and will continue in the future, to host discussions to encourage diplomatic cadence over kinetic frustration for both nations.
The United States continues to believe that restraint and engagement offer the more constructive course. We encourage all parties to prioritize logical discourse over further military incidents.
The attack on the Erbil office of Masrour Barzani, Prime Minister of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region, is condemned, and such an action is a direct threat to regional stability. The U.S. fully supports the leadership of Iraqi PM Ali al-Zaidi in restoring full Iraqi sovereignty and placing all weapons and security forces under the control of the Iraqi government.
Iraq's prime minister-designate Ali al-Zaidi met with Trump's Iraq envoy Tom Brack in Baghdad today. Al-Zaidi has been invited to the White House in July. Washington views him as the leader who will break up Iran-linked Shiite militias.
Trump: 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 s...
Trump: 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! Tom will remain Ambassador to Türkiye, and operate with the full backing of the United States Department of State. We greatly appreciate the work that Tom Barrack has done, and his continued willingness to serve our Country. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP
U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack doubles down on his "powerful leadership regimes" remarks, telling Fox News that Western-style democracy "has repeatedly collapsed" in the Middle East and that Gulf monarchies and Erdoğan's have delivered better results.— Fox News
U.S. envoy Tom Barrack said the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire remains fragile, telling the Antalya Diplomacy Forum that all sides in the conflict have been “equally untrustworthy.”
"This part of the world respects only one thing: power. And if you don't reflect power, if you reflect weakness, you are on your heels. Syria is a great example of that. Why is Syria working? Because you have a powerful, strong, courageous leader that people may not have agreed with, whatever the points of views were in the past, but they see him leading someplace."
"The only thing that's worked are these powerful leadership regimes: either benevolent monarchies, the kind of a monarchical republic. Everything else, this Arab Spring, just faded away and evaporated. Countries that have put on this cloak of democracy, or that we've gone after for human rights, have failed."
