Khaled al-Hariri/Reuters
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (R) shakes hands with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in 2007.
Maliki, seen as an authoritarian and sectarian leader, has defied calls by Sunnis, Kurds, some fellow Shi'ites and regional power broker Iran to step aside for a less polarising figure who can unite Iraqis against Islamic State militants.
Here are some reactions to his speech:
Maliki is basically openly declaring war on political system in Iraq - this is an even more dangerous turn of events
- Mina Al-Oraibi (@AlOraibi) August 10, 2014
It's all going down now. His party against him, his bloc against him, all politicians against him, but he is entrenched. Fight for power
- Sajad Jiyad ???? (@SajadJiyad) August 10, 2014
#Iraq has fallen apart and Maliki is still clinging to power! Democracy and the Arab world. #sigh
- Jenan Moussa (@jenanmoussa) August 10, 2014
Pivotal moment in #Iraq: #Maliki is clinging to power by guarding his palace with private security, as talk of multi-party coup increases.
- HRH Robbie Travers (@RobbieTravers) August 10, 2014
A coup in Baghdad? Maliki announces he won't resign and orders security forces on alert. So much for bringing democracy to Iraq.
- Liz Sly (@LizSly) August 10, 2014
#BreakingNews Eyewitnesses: More army enforcements and hundreds of soldiers are now being deployed across all of #Baghdad. #Iraq #ISIS
- Rami (@RamiAlLolah) August 10, 2014
#Iraq: Once pro-Maliki @StateofLaw now describing his latest moves as a "military coup" https://t.co/s2lWH39yVP
- Borzou Daragahi (@borzou) August 10, 2014
Asking for US intervention may have sealed Maliki's fate. Now US makes more conditional on his ouster. Former allies drawing knives...
- Michael Weiss (@michaeldweiss) August 10, 2014
@gengn sounds like Maliki has gone rogue. #Iraq
- Steven A. Cook (@stevenacook) August 10, 2014
(Reporting by Ahmed Rasheed; Editing by Sandra Maler; writing by Michael Georgy)