U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has warned Iraq risks losing international support if the country's incumbent prime minister, Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, uses the military to extend his rule.

During a visit to Sydney, Kerry said Maliki should let the Iraqi people choose their next leader.

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"There should be no use of force," he said, adding that Iraqis should "give a new government an opportunity to be voted on and move forward."

Kerry made the remarks after Maliki voiced resentment over President Fuad Masum's decision to exclude him from the list of candidates for prime minister.

Maliki, who is a Shiite, is aiming for a third term in office, but Masum, a Kurd, instead threw his support behind another Shiite, Haider al-Abadi.

A member of the Islamist Dawa Party, Abadi was recently named first deputy speaker of the Iraqi parliament.

Earlier on Monday, Maliki said he would go to court to challenge Masum's decision to choose another candidate on constitutional grounds.

His comments sparked fears that he was planning to enlist the support of the military to oppose the election of a new prime minister.

Iraqi media reported Maliki's supporters in the police force had taken up strategic positions in Baghdad, deploying armored vehicles and setting up checkpoints at major intersections.

There has been no confirmation from the U.S. of the Iraqi media reports.

However, a State Department official described Maliki's actions as a "last desperate effort to try to force some kind of a deal," as his hopes of securing another term grew dim.

Maliki first became prime minister in 2006.

He had Washington's support at that time, until critics started accusing him of authoritarianism and sectarianism.

According to analysts, the U.S. wants to see a multisectarian government come to power in Iraq and give Sunni politicians a bigger role in running country to keep them from supporting the Sunni-dominated Islamic State militant group.

TagsU.S.-Iraq, Iraq government, Iraq democracy, Iraqi Kurds, ISIS, Iraq presidential elections, Iraq president, John Kerry, Nuri Kamal al-Maliki