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Iraq

October 29, 2026

Baghdad 10:35 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

Salih Muslim, co-president of the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), poses during an interview in Marseille, southern France, on December 1, 2013. PYD, the biggest Kurdish armed group, wants to establish an autonomous Kurdish state within a federal Syria and a commission is already writing the constitution of this potential state, Muslim told AFP. Syrian Kurds in the war-torn country's northeast announced last month the formation of a transitional autonomous administration after making key territo

Syrian Kurd leader urges Turkey to join fight against jihadists

In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, Syrian Kurdish leader Salih Muslim says his Democratic Union Party will not participate in Syria’s presidential elections, and questions why the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq is not helping Syria’s Kurds.

Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki speaks to his supporters during a ceremony to announce his election platform as well as promote candidates of State of Law coalition in Kerbala, southwest of Baghdad, April 17, 2014. REUTERS/Mushtaq Muhammed (IRAQ - Tags: ELECTIONS POLITICS) - RTR3LQ81

Iran seeks Shiite consensus on next Iraqi premier

Iran would prefer that Nouri al-Maliki serve a third term as Iraqi prime minister, but will also give priority to a consensus among the Iraqi Shiite parties.

An election campaign poster of Iraq's former prime minister Ayad Allawi is pictured in Baghdad April 3, 2014. Iraq's parliamentary election is scheduled for later this month. REUTERS/Ahmed Saad (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS) - RTR3JUUI

Allawi: Even Syria interferes in Iraq’s elections

Iraqi politican Ayad Allawi spoke with Iran's IR Diplomacy about his complicated relationship with Iran.

A worker from the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) walks amongst ballot boxes during a vote counting at an analysis centre in Kerbala, south of Baghdad May 2, 2014. Iraq held a democratic vote to choose a leader with no foreign troops present for the first time on Wednesday, as Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki sought to hold power for a third term in a country again consumed by sectarian bloodshed. The electoral commission said 60 percent of all voters had so far cast a ballot, according to

Iraqis defy terrorists to vote in elections

The Iraqi Independent High Electoral Commission is reporting a 59% voter turnout, despite the threats of violence.

A member of Saudi security forces attends Abdullah's Sword military drill as a jet flies by in Hafar Al-Batin, near the border with Kuwait REUTERS/Faisal Al Nasser (SAUDI ARABIA - Tags: MILITARY) - RTR3N4AM

What message is Saudi Arabia sending with war games?

Saudi Arabia has just finished its largest war games in recent history, signalling its intent to develop its military capabilities in an increasingly unstable region.

Employees of the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) count ballots during the Iraqi parliamentary elections in Baghdad April 30, 2014. Iraqis head to the polls on Wednesday in their first national election since U.S. forces withdrew from Iraq in 2011 as Prime Minister Nuri Maliki seeks a third term amid rising violence. REUTERS/Wissm al-Okili (IRAQ - Tags: ELECTIONS POLITICS) - RTR3NAHT

Iraqi election could lead to partition

Iraqi parties across the political spectrum seek to break Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s monopoly on the central government.

ATTENTION EDITORS - VISUAL COVERAGE OF SCENES OF INJURY OR DEATH

Iraqi security forces react at the scene of a car bomb attack at a Shi'ite political organisation's rally in Baghdad, April 25, 2014. A series of explosions killed 18 people at a Shi'ite political organisation's rally in Iraq on Friday, police and medical sources said. The militant group, Asaib Ahl Haq (League of the Righteous), introduced its candidates for elections on April 30 at the rally in eastern Baghdad. Three bombs exploded in succes

Iraqi elections marred by hit squads targeting candidates

Amid rising assassination attempts of candidates for today’s Iraqi parliamentary elections, some political blocs are accusing parties in the government of being behind these operations.

Former Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi speaks during an interview with Reuters in Baghdad, April 20, 2014. For Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki, a politician who saw himself as the one who rescued Iraq from civil war in the last decade, the current state of affairs amounts to a stunning reversal of fortune as Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) fighters inch towards the capital and Shiite militias he vanquished assert their influence again. Picture taken April 20, 2014. REUTERS/Thaier al-Sudani (IRAQ

Allawi battles for his share of Iraqi votes

Ayad Allawi expressed pessimism toward the upcoming Iraqi elections and called on Iran to contribute to ensuring security in Iraq.

A cloud of smoke rises from an oil pipeline in Tikrit, north of Baghdad, April 17, 2014. A rusting pipeline that runs from the Kirkuk oilfields to the Baiji refinery in Salahuddin province leaked a large amount of oil into the Tigris River, according to a Northern Oil Company official who asked not be named. The spill stirred panic after someone set the oil ablaze, sending huge clouds of smoke into the provincial capital Tikrit, according to city residents. Ambulances evacuated residents with difficulty bre

On eve of elections, Iraq's waters become weapons of war

While confrontations continued in various regions of Iraq between armed militants and the government, both sides have tried to take control of water resources to achieve their interests.

Iraqi security forces stand guard during an election campaign for candidates of Al-Sadiqoon in Baghdad, April 25, 2014. The elections, a key test for the country's fledgling democracy, will take place against a backdrop of increasing violence and fighting in western Anbar province to expel al-Qaeda linked groups. The run-up to the national election on April 30 has been marred by attacks. A series of explosions killed 28 people and wounded more than 40 at Asaib's rally in Iraq on Friday, police and medical s

Iraqi elections threatened by terror

The Iraqi government is scrambling to address the terror threat to polling stations and voters with elections scheduled for April 30.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki (2nd R) visits a concrete plant for the Basmaya residential project in Baghdad April 16, 2014. REUTERS/Ahmed Saad (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS BUSINESS REAL ESTATE) - RTR3LHYV

Maliki goes on offense as elections approach

With Iraq’s parliamentary elections only days away, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has accused his adversaries of failing to take responsibility for their role in the current crises.

A supporter of Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr takes part in a rally, which the participants said was against sectarianism and injustice, in Kut, 150 km (93 miles) southeast of Baghdad, March 16, 2013. REUTERS/Wissm al-Okili (IRAQ - Tags: CIVIL UNREST TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTR3F2NB

Sectarian discourse dominates Iraqi election politics

Candidates in Iraq’s upcoming elections continue to engage in a sectarian, rather than, national discourse.