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Iraq

October 29, 2026

Baghdad 8:25 am

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Zaidi

Iraq's Zaidi meets Sharaa on first Syria visit: What to know

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has sought to assuage concerns about his past militant activity in Iraq, whose oil trade and security cooperation with his two country is rising.

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.

Latest News

Explainer

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

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.

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

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

A worker adjusts the valve of an oil pipe at Khurmala oilfield on the outskirts of the city of Arbil, in Iraq's Kurdistan region December 4, 2013. REUTERS/Stringer (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS ENERGY) - RTX163IS

Turkey’s Kurdish oil gamble

Turkey’s sale of Iraqi Kurdish crude oil could backfire for Ankara and the Kurdistan Regional Government.

IRAQ-APRIL 15: Woman walk aimlessly in a courtyard April 15, 2003 at a psychiatric hospital in Baghdad, Iraq. While most hospitals in Iraq are suffering, the psychiatric wards and hospitals have, for the most part, been completely forgotten. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Iraqis' epidemic of mental illness

Although statistics from international organizations indicate that mental illness is on the rise in Iraq, social stigma prevents patients from getting treated and students from studying psychology and psychiatry.

Sarbast Mustafa (C), chairman of the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC), speaks during a news conference to announce the final results of the parliamentary election in Baghdad May 19, 2014. Prime Minister Nouri Maliki won the largest share of Iraqi parliamentary seats in last month's national elections, dealing a blow to Shi?ite, Sunni and Kurdish rivals who opposed his serving a third term. REUTERS/Ahmed Saad (IRAQ - Tags: ELECTIONS POLITICS) - RTR3PULT

Will Iraqi elections be decided in Iraq?

Given the internal divisions and sectarian tensions characterizing the Iraqi scene, external powers maintain strong influence in the country.

Shi'ite people place copies of the Koran on their heads during a ceremony marking the death anniversary of Imam Ali at his shrine in the holy city of Najaf, about 160 km (100 miles) south of Baghdad, July 30, 2013. Imam Ali, the son-in-law of Prophet Mohammad, was wounded in the head during a battle and died after two days in 661 AD in Najaf. REUTERS/Ahmad Mousa (IRAQ - Tags: RELIGION TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) FOR BEST QUALITY IMAGE ALSO SEE: GM1EA3R14QL01 - RTX124BU

Sunni, Shiite scholars attempt to ease Iraqi political conflicts

As Iraq's sectarian conflicts have always exacerbated political strife, communication networks between Shiite and Sunni clerics are sorely needed.

IRAQI STUDENTS APPLYING FOR FULBRIGHT SCHOLARSHIPS CROWD A ROOM TO SIT
ENGLISH LANGUAGE EXAMS AT BAGHDAD UNIVERSITY. - RTR705D

Iraqi higher education continues decline

Although Iraq has seen a sharp rise in the number of higher education institutions in recent years, the quality remains poor.

Members of Iraqi National Alliance (INA) and the State of Law (SOL) coalition hold a meeting in Baghdad October 1, 2010. An alliance of Iraq's Shi'ite political blocs picked incumbent Nuri al-Maliki as its nominee for prime minister on Friday, ending months of wrangling that had stalled formation of a government. REUTERS/Mohammed Ameen (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS) - RTXSWUU

Prospects of Shiite 'National Alliance' hinge on Maliki

Most Shiite forces, for now, think they have an interest in rebuilding the alliance, but the final call will depend on the decision of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and the State of Law Coalition, which won the most votes in the parliamentary elections last month.

A girl stands amidst people attending Friday prayer in Najaf, south of Baghdad, March 28, 2014. REUTERS/ Ahmad Mousa (IRAQ - Tags: RELIGION TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTR3J081

Tensions remain between Iraqi government, religious authorities

The attack on schools in Najaf, during which foreign students were arrested, shows the imbalance in the relation between politics and religion in Iraq.

A buyer inspects a weapon inside a shop selling firearms in Baghdad March 2, 2006. Fearful of sectarian attacks since the bombing of a Shi'ite shrine on February 22, Iraqis are barricading homes and stocking up on weapons in a country already awash with guns. Picture taken March 2, 2006. REUTERS/Faleh Kheiber - RTR16W8K

Shopping for guns in Sadr City

In Baghdad's Sadr City neighborhood, a weapons market opens its doors every night to tribesmen who buy all kinds of arms, while the government claims to be unaware of the situation.

A woman walks past a Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) campaign poster for Iraq's parliamentary elections in Sulaimaniya April 28, 2014. Picture taken April 28, 2014. To match IRAQ-ELECTION/KURDS REUTERS/Jacob Russell (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTR3N0GU

Would PUK cut separate deal with Maliki?

The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) did well in the Iraqi national elections, and may be flirting with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to strengthen its hand in Iraqi Kurdish politics.

BAGHDAD, Iraq: Supporters of the dominant Iraqi Shiite "United Iraqi Alliance" list flash the "V" sign near a picture of Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani during a political rally in Baghdad's poor neighborhood of Sadr city, 12 December 2005. The United Iraqi Alliance list put on a show of force ahead of Iraqi elections for a full-term parliament, staging a rally that drew thousands in eastern Baghdad. Iraqi violence shadowed special early polling Monday ahead of a general election for a full-term parliament

Sistani keeps distance from Iraqi election politics

Although there have been attempts to embroil Iraqi cleric Ali al-Sistani in the country’s ongoing political disputes, he has continued to stress his non-involvement in these issues.

Iraqi forces walk during a patrol looking for militants from the al Qaeda faction, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), explosives and weapons in a neighbourhood in Ramadi May 14, 2014. Thousands of civilians have fled Falluja since last week after the Iraqi military intensified shelling in a new bid to crush a five-month old Sunni uprising, killing scores of people in what residents describe as massive indiscriminate bombardment. More than 420,000 people have already escaped the two main cities

Maliki got election assist from Anbar crisis

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki skillfully used the Anbar crisis to deepen the sense of collective danger among Shiite voters.

Turkey's Energy Minister Taner Yildiz speaks at the Iraq-Kurdistan Oil and Gas Conference at Arbil in Iraq's Kurdistan region, December 2, 2013. Turkey said on Monday it stood by a bilateral oil deal with Iraq's Kurdistan region that bypassed central government but wanted to win Baghdad's support by drawing it into the arrangement. Reuters reported that Turkey and Iraqi Kurdistan signed a multi-billion-dollar energy package last week, infuriating a central Baghdad government which claims sole authority over

Turkey pivots to Baghdad to close deal on Kurdish oil

Turkey has realized it can’t sell Kurdish oil without Baghdad’s blessing.