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Iraq

October 31, 2026

Baghdad 4:48 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

Residents gather at the site of a car bomb attack in the Kamaliya district in Baghdad April 15, 2013. Car bombs and attacks on cities across Iraq, including two blasts at a checkpoint at Baghdad international airport, killed at least 20 people and wounded more than 200 on Monday, police said. The wave of attacks in Baghdad, Kirkuk, Tuz Khurmato and other towns to the north to south, came days before Iraqis vote in provincial elections that will test political stability more than a year after U.S. troops lef

Iraqi Provincial Elections Bring Wave of Violence, Assassination

Sunni candidates in the upcoming Iraqi elections are being targeted in a recent spate of assassinations, reports Ali Abel Sadah.

Masoud Barzani, president of Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, attends the opening of a conference on "Recognizing Kurdish Genocide" in Arbil, about 350 km (217 miles) north of Baghdad, March 14, 2013. REUTERS/Thaier al-Sudani (IRAQ - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS) - RTR3EZ32

Media War Begins Ahead of Iraqi Kurdistan Elections

A media war is taking place ahead of regional elections in Iraqi Kurdistan, writes Abdel Hamid Zebari.

Environmental protection police examine radioactive contaminated vehicles imported from Japan at Umm Qasr's port near Basra, 420 km (260 miles) southeast of Baghdad, November 16, 2011. Sixteen vehicles imported from Japan were found to be contaminated with radiation, Iraq's Ministry of Environment said on Wednesday. Picture taken November 16, 2011. REUTERS/Atef Hassan (IRAQ - Tags : - Tags: ENVIRONMENT DISASTER) - RTR2U4M9

Iraq Ports See Influx Of 'Mediocre Products'

The authority in charge of Iraq’s southern ports has increased inspections on imports after it was revealed that the ports have become a "warehouse for mediocre products," reports Omar al-Shaher.

Iraq's Deputy Prime Minister Rafi Essawi (R) meets with Hassan al-Shammari, head of the Iraqi Islamic al Fadila parliamentary bloc, in Baghdad October 1, 2010. REUTERS/Mohammed Ameen (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS) - RTXSX67

Iraq's Anti-Terrorism Law Criticized

Iraq’s anti-terrorism law has been criticized by Amnesty International and by many Iraqis, but the Iraqi government seems to be using the criticisms to promote a "tough on terrorism" image, writes Mushreq Abbas.

Residents gather at the site of a car bomb attack in the Kamaliya district in Baghdad April 15, 2013. Car bombs and attacks on cities across Iraq, including two blasts at a checkpoint at Baghdad international airport, killed at least 20 people and wounded more than 200 on Monday, police said. The wave of attacks in Baghdad, Kirkuk, Tuz Khurmato and other towns to the north to south, came days before Iraqis vote in provincial elections that will test political stability more than a year after U.S. troops lef

Iraqi Security Forces Cannot Stop Terrorism

Mustafa al-Kadhimi asks how terrorists can operate with such impunity throughout Iraq, given that al-Qaeda is supposedly "besieged," and given the presence of numerous checkpoints throughout the country.

Iraqi soldiers vote at a polling station in Basra, 420 km (261 miles) southeast of Baghdad April 13, 2013. Members of the Iraqi security forces head to polling stations on Saturday in Baghdad and other Iraqi provinces to cast their ballot in the 2013 provincial council election. REUTERS/Atef Hassan (IRAQ - Tags: ELECTIONS POLITICS) - RTXYK1D

Iraqi Army Voting Mired In Factional Politics

The April 13 elections for representatives of the Iraqi army and police in provincial councils revealed familiar Iraqi factionalism, writes Ali Abel Sadah.

Protesters hold up a banner which reads "No No to the Baathists" during a rally against the former Baath Party return in Baghdad, February 7, 2010. Iraq's Shi'ite parties held emotional demonstrations on Sunday and vowed to purge loyalists of Saddam Hussein's outlawed Baath party as tensions over a list of candidates banned from a March election soared. REUTERS/Saad Shalash (IRAQ - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS) - RTR29X73

Iraq's Baathist Legacy Refuses to Fade Away

Iraq’s attempt to rid itself of the legacy of the former ruling Baath Party must account for the fact that many former party employees will be worse off as a result, writes Mustafa al-Kadhimi.

Iraqi Sunni Muslims take part in an anti-government demonstration in Falluja, 50 km (31 miles) west of Baghdad, April 5, 2013. Thousands of Sunni Muslims protested after Friday prayers in huge rallies against Shi'ite Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, demanding that he step down. REUTERS/Mohanned Faisal (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS) CIVIL UNREST) - RTXY9JG

Maliki Faces Tough Political Choices Ahead of Election

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki faces tough political choices ahead, because he must reconcile with some of his Sunni and Kurdish opponents to win another term, writes Ali Abel Sadah.

An Iraqi Kurdish street vendor sells Kurdish flags in Arbil, about 300 kilometres, northeast of Baghdad, as people commemorate those who were killed in the 1988 Anfal massacre on March 15, 2013. An estimated 182,000 people died in the brutal "Anfal" (Spoils of War) campaign carried out by Saddam Hussein's forces 25 years ago. AFP PHOTO/ ALI AL-SAADI (Photo credit should read ALI AL-SAADI/AFP/Getty Images)

Upcoming Iraqi Kurdistan Elections Stir Up Controversy

The presidential elections in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region, scheduled for later this year, have hit a snag, with several parties unable to agree on important issues, reports Abdel Hamid Zebari.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (L) meets with Iraq's Parliament Speaker Osama al-Nujaifi (R) in Baghdad March 24, 2013. Kerry made an unannounced visit to Iraq on Sunday and will urge Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to make sure Iranian flights over Iraq do not carry arms and fighters to Syria, a U.S. official said. REUTERS/Jason Reed (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS) - RTXXVNF

Iraqi Speaker: Maliki Could Resort To Military Force Against Opponents

Iraqi Parliament Speaker Osama al-Nujaifi criticizes Baghdad’s support for Syrian President Assad's regime, and notes that Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki could resort to using military force against demonstrators.

A fighter from Islamist Syrian rebel group Jabhat al-Nusra runs with his weapon as their base is shelled in Raqqa province, eastern Syria, March 14, 2013. REUTERS/Hamid Khatib (SYRIA - Tags: CONFLICT POLITICS) - RTR3EZGW

Jabhat al-Nusra Declares Allegiance to Al-Qaeda

The leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq has made a speech declaring the integration of Syrian rebel group Jabhat al-Nusra and his own organization, Mushreq Abbas reports.

BAGHDAD - NOVEMBER 8: In this handout image provided by the Iraqi Prime Minister office shows Kurdish leader Masoud Barazani (C) receiving Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki (R) and former Prime Minister and Shiite leader Ibrahim Al-Jaafari (L) on November 8, 2010 at Arbil airport 190 miles north of Baghdad, Iraq. Hosted by Kurdish leader Masoud Barazani, Iraqi political leaders met in Arbil to discuss the formation of the Iraqi government about eight months since the country's parliamentary elections. (

Erbil-Baghdad Relations Still Lack Substance

Despite ongoing negotiations and talks between Iraq’s central government in Baghdad and the country’s Kurdistan region, reconciliation efforts still lack the substance necessary to bring about effective solutions, writes Mustafa al-Kadhimi.