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Iraq

October 28, 2026

Baghdad 11:55 am

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Safin HAMID / AFP via Getty Images

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 Finance Minister Hoshiyar Zebari speaks during an interview with Reuters in Baghdad November 26, 2014. Zebari called for deep-rooted reforms to stamp out corruption in a military that collapsed in the face of an Islamic State advance, as he prepares to spend nearly a quarter of the 2015 budget on defence. Picture taken November 26, 2014. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani (IRAQ - Tags: BUSINESS POLITICS MILITARY CIVIL UNREST) - RTR4FT0T

Iraqi Cabinet approves budget reforms

After failing to agree on a federal budget for 2014, Iraq’s Cabinet has finally approved and submitted its 2015 budget to parliament with an announcement to enact austerity plans.

Iranians carry the coffin of Brigadier General Hamid Taghavi, a commander of the Revolutionary Guards reportedly killed in the Iraqi city of Samarra, during his funeral in the capital Tehran on December 29, 2014. According to Iran's Revolutionary Guards, the senior military officer has been killed while advising Iraqi troops in their fight against the Islamic State group. AFP PHOTO / ATTA KENARE (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images)

Iran mourns general killed by IS in Iraq

Iranian Gen. Hamid Taghavi, killed in Iraq, played in important role in Iran's efforts in the country.

Protesters demand that the pensions of parliamentarians be cancelled during a demonstration in Baghdad August 31, 2013. Thousands are rallying across Iraq against corruption and the financial privileges of lawmakers and political leaders. REUTERS/Thaier al-Sudani (IRAQ - Tags - Tags: POLITICS BUSINESS EMPLOYMENT CIVIL UNREST) - RTX132IA

Corruption lets Iraqi criminals off the hook

Weak institutions and corruption mean that major crimes in Iraq are not being investigated or prosecuted.

Iraq's 2 million IDPs struggling

The Islamic State’s offensive this year, and the subsequent conflict that has followed, has spawned nearly 2 million internally displaced persons, many of whom live in run-down, squalid refugee camps and are desperate for aid.

Sunni volunteers from Mosul take part in military training as they prepare to fight against militants of the Islamic State on the outskirts of Dohuk province December 8, 2014. Picture taken December 8, 2014. REUTERS/Ari Jalal (IRAQ - Tags - Tags: MILITARY POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTR4IEJV

Iraqis bicker over liberating Mosul

Arab disputes over leadership and relations with Baghdad and the Kurds, as well as Kurdish disinterest in defending Sunni Arab territories, are complicating efforts to defeat the Islamic State in a highly fragmented Iraq.

Hundreds of trucks bringing in diesel from Iran line up on a road as they head to the eastern province of Van in Turkey November 30, 2005. In the shadows of mountains bordering Iraq and Iran, Turkey's Hakkari province may one day be an outpost of the European Union. But for now, it feels cut off from the world. Picture taken November 30, 2005. To match feature Turkey-Southeast REUTERS/Fatih Saribas - RTR1AGOX

Turkey, Iran at war over trucking

A 1994 transportation accord has fueled Turkish-Iranian rivalry for economic and political influence in Central Asia.

Shi'ite Muslim pilgrims walk to the holy city of Kerbala, ahead of the holy Shi'ite ritual of Arbaeen, in Najaf, December 8, 2014. Arbaeen falls 40 days after the holy day of Ashura. REUTERS/Alaa Al-Marjani (IRAQ - Tags: RELIGION MILITARY TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY SOCIETY) - RTR4H650

Iraqi Shiite pilgrimage takes political turn

As the pilgrimage of Arbaeen in Iraq grows in strength, so do its political dimensions.

Female fighters of the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) stand near the border between Syria and Iraq, close to the Iraqi town of Snoun December 22, 2014. On Sunday, Kurdish and Yazidi fighters battled to take the Sinjar back from Islamic State after breaking a months-long siege of the mountain above it. Seizing the town would restore the majority of territory Iraq's Kurds lost in Islamic State's surprise offensive in August Picture taken December 22, 2014. REUTERS/Stringer (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS CIVI

Kurdish Sinjar offensive too late for some Yazidis

Whatever the outcome of the battle of Sinjar, it will take a while for Yazidis to regain confidence in the peshmerga, whom they blame for abandoning the town to the Islamic State.

Iran's parliament speaker Ali Larijani (L)and Iraqi parliament speaker Salim al-Jabouri speak during a news conference in Baghdad December 24, 2014. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR4J5WG

Larijani offers Iran's support in visit to Lebanon, Syria, Iraq

Head of Iran's parliament Ali Larijani traveled to Lebanon, Syria and Iraq, where he met with top religious and political officials.

Iraqi security forces take part in an intensive security deployment against Islamic State militants in the town of Amriyat al-Falluja in Anbar province, November 5, 2014. Picture taken November 5, 2014. REUTERS/Stringer (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS CONFLICT MILITARY CIVIL UNREST) - RTR4D7BW

Baghdad's 'blind eye' leads to IS routs in Anbar

The Islamic State continues to extend its control in Anbar as the Iraqi army falls back.

Fully-veiled women gesture with their ink-stained fingers after casting their vote during voting for Iraqi parliamentary election in Baghdad April 30, 2014. Iraqis headed to the polls on Wednesday in their first national election since U.S. forces withdrew from Iraq in 2011, with Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki seeking a third term amid rising violence. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani (IRAQ - Tags: ELECTIONS POLITICS) - RTR3N6WF

Iraqi women don more conservative dress

As religious conservatism rises in Iraq, women are going beyond the hijab to show their religious commitment and membership in their communities.

Masked Spanish police officers lead a detained woman in Melilla, December 16, 2014. Spanish and Moroccan police have arrested seven people in a ongoing joint swoop on suspected efforts to recruit women to go to Syria and Iraq to support Islamic State insurgents, the Spanish Interior Ministry said on Tuesday. REUTERS/Jesus Blasco de Avellaneda (SPAIN - Tags: CRIME LAW CIVIL UNREST TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTR4I81E

Islamic State's female bloggers draw European women to Syria

Posts about dinners, travel routes and Kalashnikovs are designed to encourage women to join up as teachers, nurses and wives.