Iraqi President Salih names Adnan al-Zurfi as new prime minister-designate - state TV

Iraq's President Barham Salih on Tuesday designated Adnan al-Zurfi as prime minister tasked with forming a government within 30 days, in an attempt to overcome months of political deadlock.

Zurfi, a former official of the U.S.-run authorities that took over Iraq after the 2003 U.S. invasion that deposed Saddam Hussein, is head of the Nasr parliamentary grouping of former prime minister Haider al-Abadi, also a U.S. ally.