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Iraq

October 31, 2026

Baghdad 5:42 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

An electrician works on an electric switchboard of a local generator in Baghdad, December 13, 2011. Iraq's financial system is slowly embracing the free market after years of tight control under Saddam; a fledging stock market is attracting foreign money while the banking and telecommunications industries are growing rapidly. But the national grid provides only a few hours of intermittent power a day, forcing Iraqis to live off noisy diesel-fueled generators. Picture taken December 13, 2011. To match Featur

Promises of Reliable Electricity Offer Little Reassurance in Iraq

The Iraqi government has pledged to provide the country with 24-hour electricity, heralding the end of years of energy blackouts, but doubts remain over the government’s ability to deliver on their promises, writes Omar al-Shaher.

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 Seeks 'Majority Government' In Iraq

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki seeks to establish a "majority government" that would further marginalize his Sunni and Kurdish political rivals, writes Mushreq Abbas.

The room where Iraq's parliament was to meet today, for only the second time since it was elected in December, remains empty after politicians cancelled today's session, April 20, 2006. Iraq's Shi'ite Alliance said on Thursday it would hold a new internal vote to name a prime minister, raising the possibility that Ibrahim al-Jaafari will be removed to end a months-long impasse over a unity government. REUTERS/Ahmad Rubaye/Pool - RTR1CMS1

Iraq: The Parliament That Barely Meets

The Iraqi parliament, already not known for its long hours, barely met in March amid a new power struggle between Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and Speaker Osama al-Nujaifi, writes Ali Abel Sadah.

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden talks with soldiers at Camp Victory on the outskirts of Baghdad, July 4, 2009. Biden met U.S. troops preparing to mark their Independence Day holiday on Saturday, on the third day of a visit he has used to urge Iraqi politicians to do more to reconcile rival factions. REUTERS/Khalid Mohammed/Pool (IRAQ CONFLICT POLITICS MILITARY ANNIVERSARY IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTR25B7I

Iraqi Panel Promotes 'Biden Plan' For Federal Iraq

The key to securing Iraq’s political future is to place administrative responsibilities in the hands of the regions, and hold power centrally in Baghdad, writes Mushreq Abbas.

Iraqi journalists inspect the equipment after attack by an armed group at the newspaper's headquarters of Addustour newspaper in Baghdad April 2, 2013. Employees of Iraq's Addustour newspaper on Tuesday inspected the damage caused by an armed group attack at the newspaper's headquarters the day before. The armed group broke into the newspaper building in Karrada district in central Baghdad on Monday, beating guards and journalists and burning editions of the newspaper, said an eyewitness.REUTERS/Thaier al-

Attacks on Iraqi Media Call Press Freedom Into Question

Following attacks on the offices of three different Iraqi newspapers on April 1, press freedom in Iraq is once again called into question, writes Mushreq Abbas.

Employees of the state-run South Oil Company (SOC) join a new oil storage tank to the oil pipelines near the southern city of Basra January 14, 2013. The head of the state-run South Oil Company said the new facility will add a capacity of one million barrels to the existing 5.5 million barrels available. REUTERS/Atef Hassan (IRAQ - Tags: ENERGY CIVIL UNREST) - RTR3CG6G

Iraq Lagging in Foreign Investment

Iraq is still struggling to attract foreign investors amid dated laws, political instability and a conservative society, writes Mustafa al-Kadhimi.

A girl and her father look at books at the Guadalajara International Book Fair in Guadalajara November 24, 2012. REUTERS/Alejandro Acosta (MEXICO - Tags: SOCIETY) - RTR3AUCG

Kurdistan Book FairShowcases Mideast Talent

A book fair in Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan's capital, showcased regional and international literary talent and served as a unifying event against a backdrop of violence and sectarianism, writes Abdel Hamid Zebari.

A flame rises from a pipeline at Taq Taq oil field in Arbil at the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region of northern Iraq, about 350 km (220 miles) north of Baghdad, September, 5, 2012. To match Analysis IRAQ-OIL-KURDISTAN/ REUTERS/Azad Lashkari (IRAQ - Tags: ENERGY BUSINESS) - RTR37KBL

Iraqi Government Warns Kurdistan Region Against 'Smuggling' Oil

The ongoing dispute over oil between the central Iraqi government in Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government in Erbil has intensified, writes Omar al-Shaher.

A man works at a construction site in Iraq's northern province of Arbil September 25, 2010. While most Iraqis struggle under the detritus of a seven-year war, the people of Arbil in Iraqi Kurdistan can frolic in a public pool, ride an elevated cable car over freshly planted parkland or escape stifling heat in a new ice skating hall. The new luxuries of Iraq's northern Kurdish region seem a world apart from the dust and grit of Baghdad, where suicide bombers are an everyday fear, dirt-gray blast walls domina

KRG Minister: Our Problem With Baghdad Lies in the Budget

The Kurdistan Regional Government’s reconstruction minister talks about the ministry’s plans to revitalize the housing sector and notes that the region’s problems with Baghdad center on budget allocations, writes Abdel Hamid Zebari.

Employees of the state-run South Oil Company (SOC) join a new oil storage tank to the oil pipelines near the southern city of Basra January 14, 2013. The head of the state-run South Oil Company said the new facility will add a capacity of one million barrels to the existing 5.5 million barrels available. REUTERS/Atef Hassan (IRAQ - Tags: ENERGY CIVIL UNREST) - RTR3CG6G

Iraq Set to Expand Free-Trade Zones

Iraq is preparing to expand existing free-trade zones and create new ones throughout the country, writes Omar al-Shaher.

Iraq's Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari (L) shakes hands with Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamed bin Jassem Jaber al-Thani (C) during preparatory meeting with Arab foreign ministers ahead of the annual Arab League Summit in Doha March 24, 2013. REUTERS/Stringer (QATAR - Tags: POLITICS) - RTXXVRM

Iraq’s Arab-League Presidency: Wasted Opportunity?

Iraq's term as president of the Arab League left no mark, writes Mustafa Al-Kadhimi.

Iraqi pilots stand near a Boeing 777 jet at Baghdad's international Airport December 15, 2012. Three Boeing twin-aisle 777-200LR jets arrived in Baghdad in a move aimed to boost the transportation sector in a country suffering decades of wars and sanctions. REUTERS/Mohammed Ameen (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS TRANSPORT BUSINESS) - RTR3BLS6

Iraqi Aviation Industry Takes Off

More than 10 years after the US invasion of Iraq, the country’s aviation industry is starting to show strong signs of recovery, reports Omar al-Shaher.