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Boehler has reportedly sent messages to top Iraqi officials, including PM Sudani, making it clear that failure to secure Tsurkov’s release would trigger US-imposed punitive measures.
The United States has issued a stark warning to Iraq, demanding the immediate release of kidnapped Israeli-Russian academic Elizabeth Tsurkov and threatening severe political and economic consequences should the matter remain unresolved, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported on Monday.
According to two Iraqi officials in Baghdad, the Trump administration has formally urged Iraq to expedite efforts to secure Tsurkov’s release. The scholar was abducted in March 2023 from Baghdad’s Karrada neighborhood, reportedly by the Iran-backed militia Kataib Hezbollah.
Despite no group officially claiming responsibility, mounting evidence suggests the powerful paramilitary faction is behind her disappearance.
Diplomatic tensions have escalated in recent weeks following strong remarks from US President Donald Trump’s hostage affairs envoy, Adam Boehler. In February, Boehler publicly accused Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani of failing to act on previous commitments, warning that he would be held accountable for any harm that befalls Tsurkov.
The high-profile case took a dramatic turn in November 2023 when Iraqi television broadcast a video of Tsurkov allegedly confessing to being an Israeli spy. However, her current condition and whereabouts remain undisclosed.
Meanwhile, in a bid to reassure international actors, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein recently told Israeli journalist Barak Ravid that Tsurkov is still alive and that Prime Minister Sudani is actively working to secure her freedom.
Sources close to Iraq’s National Security Council disclosed that direct communications between Washington and Baghdad have intensified. Boehler has reportedly sent messages to top Iraqi officials, including PM Sudani, making it clear that failure to secure Tsurkov’s release would trigger US-imposed punitive measures. The National Security Council official noted that “Washington, not Israel, is now leading the negotiations.”
While the Iraqi government, alongside key Shia political figures, has been making attempts to engage with Kataib Hezbollah, these efforts have yet to yield tangible results.
An Iraqi official familiar with the case admitted that negotiations have stalled because the kidnappers are not demanding a financial ransom. Instead, speculation has grown over whether Tsurkov’s captors are seeking a prisoner exchange involving detained members of Lebanon’s Hezbollah.
The crisis has laid bare Iraq’s inability—or unwillingness—to rein in the powerful Iranian-backed militias that operate with near impunity within its borders. Despite repeated US warnings, Baghdad has failed to assert control, raising serious questions about its commitment to upholding international obligations and protecting foreign nationals within its territory.
As Washington intensifies its pressure, the Iraqi government’s hesitancy to take decisive action suggests either a lack of authority or a tacit acceptance of militant influence. This failure not only threatens Iraq’s diplomatic standing with the US but also exposes the country as a weak state, incapable of enforcing the rule of law, with dangerous implications for regional security and stability.