Iraq arrests deputy oil minister in anti-corruption push The arrest of Adnan al-Jumaili marks a second signification step against corruption by Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi’s government amid growing pressure from the Trump administration. Iraq
Analysis Can Iraq absorb Iran-backed militias without deepening Tehran’s influence? While some militias have openly resisted disarmament, experts say those expressing support for the government’s plans may be motivated by political calculations. By Adam Lucente In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change
Iraq’s Sadr moves to place his militia under state control: What to know Muqtada al-Sadr is the first militia leader to heed new Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s call to place weapons in the hands of the state as US pressure continues. Iraq
Iran’s Pezeshkian calls Iraqi leaders as Khamenei praises militias: What to know Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian invited Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi and President Nizar Amedi to Tehran as Iraq grapples with the fallout from the regional conflict. Iran
Iran 1, US 0: Iraq chooses a parliament speaker After a long delay, the Iraqi parliament has finally elected its speaker and in doing so confirmed the rising influence of Iran. Iraq
Iraq's Abadi under fire from pro-Iran political factions Pro-Iranian factions within Iraq's Popular Mobilization Units are taking advantage of the bloody events in Basra to prevent the prime minister from winning a second term, accusing him of being under US influence. Iraq
Mortars hit Iraq's Green Zone as violent protests continue As Iraq's political parties have failed to form a new government, unrest continues in Basra, where hundreds of people are being hospitalized each day due to a lack of basic services, especially clean water. Iraq
Turkey pins hopes on cleric Sadr to form Iraqi government As Turkey waits to see which Iraqi political coalition comes up with the parliamentary majority necessary to install a new government, Ankara is rooting for the bloc of cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, which it sees as most likely to minimize US and Iranian influence in the country. Iraq
Shiite split heats up as Iraqi lawmakers fail to elect speaker Two Iraqi Shiite coalitions — one favored by the United States and the other by Iran — are competing hard to gain a majority in the parliament to form the next government. Iraq
Iran-Iraq tensions rise as Tehran demands war compensation Tensions between Baghdad and Tehran grow after Iraq's prime minister said his country would abide by US sanctions against Iran, while the latter demands compensation for damages in the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq War. Iraq
As Iraq wraps up election recount, is a new government in sight? In the midst of intensive negotiations by the winning parties in the elections to form a new government, the Independent High Electoral Commission has completed the process of manual counting, without expecting a significant change in the results. Iraq
Abadi, Maliki seek alliance with Iraq's Kurds Nearly two months since Iraq's parliamentary election, the winning parties are still discussing an alliance to form the new government. Iraq
Iraqi Shiites, Kurds siphon voter support from Sunnis Sunni parties lost a significant number of parliament seats in Iraq's May elections, continuing a yearslong decline. Iraq
Iraqi parties intensify calls to challenge election results Some Iraqi political parties are challenging the results of recent parliamentary elections, citing fraud and faulty electronic voting technology, but those who support the election results say a vote recount could lead to a civil war. Iraq
Iraq's pro-Iran factions shrug off congressional sanctions push Asaib Ahl al-Haq and the Hezbollah Brigades have dismissed the effectiveness of possible new US sanctions against them and claim they might even be helpful. Iraq
Congress targets election winners in Iraq The House unanimously voted to sanction two Iran-backed militias in Iraq, one of which just won more than a dozen parliamentary seats. Iraq
