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Iraq

October 23, 2026

Baghdad 12:39 pm

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Iran says deal reached with Iraq to expel Kurdish separatists: What to know

Iran said an agreement was reached with Iraq to expel or hand over members of Kurdish separatist groups based in Iraqi Kurdistan.

Trucks loaded with goods wait to cross over to Syria

Analysis

How Hormuz crisis is reshaping economic ties between Iraq and Syria

Iraq and Syria are expanding trade and energy cooperation, but security risks, economic challenges and longstanding mistrust raise questions about whether their growing partnership can endure.

Shelly Kittleson

By Shelly Kittleson

In Baghdad, reporting on Iraqi politics

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi meets with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Oct. 14, 2026, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Iraq’s Zaidi, Saudi crown prince discuss security as Houthi attacks escalate

Iraq has moved to improve ties with Saudi Arabia after Iran-backed militias struck the kingdom and amid the conflict with the Houthis in Yemen.

Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) fighters arrive in the northern Iraqi city of Dohuk on May 14, 2013, after leaving Turkey as part of a peace drive with Ankara.

Explainer

PKK pulls out of Metina in northern Iraq amid Turkey peace process

The withdrawal comes as the peace process between Turkey and the militant group gains momentum alongside increasing security cooperation between Ankara and Baghdad.

Latest News

Analysis

Why Syria and Iraq are taking different approaches to armed groups

Demonstrators ride through a street while waving Syrian flags

Shelly Kittleson

By Shelly Kittleson

In Baghdad, reporting on Iraqi politics

Iraq devalues dinar 13% as Hormuz disruption hits oil revenue

A man walks past a closed foreign exchange office in Baghdad on October 7, 2026. Iraq's central bank devalued the dinar currency against the dollar on October 7, with the country facing a deepening crisis brought on by the Middle East war. (Photo by AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP via Getty Images)

Explainer

What Iraq’s US troop withdrawal means for security after Kirkuk killings

A member of the Iraqi security forces flashes the victory sign during a military parade

Analysis

After US exit, Iran gains space in Iraq and a harder balancing act

Members of Iraq's Hashed al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization) paramilitary forces stand guard during an election rally for the "Asaib Ahl al-Haq" movement in the capital Baghdad, on October 7, 2021.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Amberin Zaman

Chief Correspondent

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Jared Szuba

Defense and Security Correspondent

In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military

Beatrice Farhat

Associate Editor (Lebanon)

In Beirut, reporting on regional news, culture, conflict

Suadad al-Salhy

In Baghdad, reporting on politics and security

Lyse Mauvais

In Amman, reporting on humanitarian crises

Winthrop Rodgers

In Sulaymaniyah, reporting on Kurdish issues

Iraq's president Barham Salih addresses the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York City, New York, U.S., September 25, 2019. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson - HP1EF9P126TEO

Iraqi president gives priority to job opportunities for youth, calls corruption 'political economy of conflict'

Iraqi President Barham Salih, in an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, says that in the present climate "talking about another war is just madness."

A flame rises from a chimney at Taq Taq oil field in Arbil, in Iraq's Kurdistan region, August 16, 2014. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari/File Photo - D1BETYORKTAA

Baghdad sends delegation to Erbil to resolve disputes

Baghdad sent a delegation, headed by President Barham Salih, to the Iraqi Kurdistan region to discuss the budget, oil and other contentious issues.

Palestinians hope to import Iraqi oil, become more energy independent

Palestinians are inching closer to the possibility of being able to import Iraqi oil to Jordan and have the Jordan refinery convert it to local products that can pass Israeli inspection.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang attends a signature ceremony with Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi at the Great Hall of the People, in Beijing, China September 23, 2019. Lintao Zhang/Pool via REUTERS *** Local Caption *** Li Keqiang; Adil Abdul-Mahdi - RC1DE0BB6230

Chinese investment in Iraq provides gains for Baghdad, Beijing

Iraqi prime minister trip to China has paved the ground for China to invest in Iraq.

Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces members guard near the building belonging to a Popular Mobilization Forces in Basra, Iraq September 8, 2018. REUTERS/Alaa al-Marjani - RC1209B9A4C0

PMU under pressure to integrate into Iraqi state

Following dramatic changes in the leadership of the Popular Mobilization Units, two rockets hit near the US Embassy in Baghdad, signaling discontent with the move.

Osama al-Nujaifi (R), speaker of the Iraqi Council of Representatives, and Iraq's Deputy Prime Minister Rose Nuri Shaways sit as they attend a session at the parliament headquarters in Baghdad July 1, 2014. Sunnis and Kurds abandoned the first meeting of Iraq's new parliament on Tuesday after Shi'ites failed to name a prime minister to replace al-Maliki, wrecking hopes that a unity government would be swiftly built to save Iraq from collapse. Parliament is not likely to meet again for at least a week, leavi

Third coalition arises in Iraq to vie for Sunni leadership

Former Iraqi Vice President Osama al-Nujaifi has formed a new Sunni coalition in Iraq, but the "alliance" seems to indicate further division in Sunni political ranks.

SDF, coalition crack down on IS remnants in Syria

US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces are dismantling Islamic State cells as the terrorist group still has a presence in northern and eastern Syria despite its declared defeat earlier this year.

Iraq's President Barham Salih gestures during a news conference with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani (not pictured) at Salam Palace in Baghdad, Iraq March 11, 2019. REUTERS/Thaier al-Sudani - RC168FC63C00

Two to watch at the UN General Assembly: Turkey’s Erdogan and Iraq’s Salih

Turkish leader meets Trump ahead of safe-zone deadline; Iraqi president offers new direction for Iraq and region.

A member of the Iraqi army sits on a vehicle mounted with a man-portable air-defence system (MANPAD) during a yearly military show on February 1, 2015 in the capital Baghdad. Violence in Iraq killed 1,375 people in January, month eight of the battle against jihadists who swept through large areas of the country last summer, the United Nations said. AFP PHOTO / SABAH ARAR (Photo credit should read SABAH ARAR/AFP/Getty Images)

Iraq steps up search for advanced air defense system

Regional conflicts and international tensions, along with money, are roadblocks to Iraq's pressing interest in upgrading its missile defense system.

An Iraqi protester waves a national flag while demonstrating outside the burnt-down local government headquarters in the southern city of Basra on September 7, 2018 during demonstrations over poor public services. - Basra has seen a surge in protests since September 4, with demonstrators torching government buildings as well as political party and militia offices, as anger boils over after the hospitalisation of 30,000 people who had drunk polluted water. (Photo by Haidar MOHAMMED ALI / AFP) (Photo c

Congress pushes Trump to reopen US Consulate in Iraq’s Basra province

The State Department closed the US Consulate in Iraq’s Basra province nearly a year ago. Now Congress is laying the groundwork to reopen it.

This picture taken on October 2, 2018 shows Iraqi journalists performing interviews at the federal parliament headquarters in Iraq as the legislative assembly meets to elect a new president for the country. (Photo by Ahmad AL-RUBAYE / AFP) (Photo credit should read AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images)

Iraqi journalists blacklist politicians who attack them

Some Iraq journalists are forming a list that includes all officials who attack them to prepare the ground for legal action against them.

BQAIQ, SAUDI ARABIA - SEPTEMBER 14, 2019: Smoke billows from Saudi Aramco's oil processing plants in Abqaiq and Khurais, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Orbital Horizon/Copernicus Sentinel Data 2019/Gallo Images via Getty Images)

Iraq works to distance itself from US-Iran tension after Saudi Aramco attack

Baghdad is worried that the Sept. 14 attack on Saudi Arabia will affect Iraq's stability and relationship with neighboring countries.