UPDATE 1-Iraq's Shi'ite bloc reaffirms backing for Maliki despite Trump's warnings

(Adds background and quote throughout) Jan 31 (Reuters) -

Iraq's alliance of Shi'ite political blocs, ‌the Coordination Framework, reaffirmed on Saturday its support for former premier Nouri al-Maliki ⁠to lead the next government, despite a warning

from U.S. President Donald Trump that Washington would no longer help ​Iraq if Maliki returned to power. The bloc, which ‍holds a majority in parliament, picked Maliki, Iraq's first elected prime minister after a U.S.-led invasion toppled Saddam Hussein in ⁠2003, ‌as ⁠its nominee for the post following an election.

"The choice of the ‍prime minister is a purely Iraqi constitutional matter and ​should proceed without foreign interference," the Coordination Framework said ⁠in a statement, adding that it seeks balanced relations with ⁠international partners based on mutual respect. Trump's threats are the starkest example yet of the Republican president's ⁠campaign to curb Iran-linked groups' influence in Iraq, which has ⁠long ‌walked a tightrope between its two closest allies, Washington and Tehran.