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Iraq

October 20, 2026

Baghdad 10:26 am

29°C

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.

Demonstrators ride through a street while waving Syrian flags

Analysis

Why Syria and Iraq are taking different approaches to armed groups

In a break from past policies, the new governments in Damascus and Baghdad are clamping down on militant groups with the capacity or desire to harm regional partners.

Shelly Kittleson

By Shelly Kittleson

In Baghdad, reporting on Iraqi politics

Latest News

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

Trump’s integration policies build on Gulf, Turkey ties and Syria success

US President Donald Trump meets Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa (L) on the sidelines of the NATO Summit at Bestepe Presidential Compound in Ankara, on July 8, 2026.

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

Employees of the Independent High Electoral Commission conduct a partial manual recount of votes for the Oct. 10 parliamentary elections, Baghdad, Iraq, Nov. 23, 2021.

Certification of election results opens new chapter in Iraq’s political conflict

Iraq's Federal Court has certified the recent election results, setting in motion the constitutional deadlines.

Basra Gov. Asaad al-Eidani listens during a press conference in the new building of the Basra governorate on Sept. 9 2018.

Basra governor tests the waters for the premiership

The governor of Basra is moving between political blocs and high-level leaders in a bid to access the premiership, but the political landscape does not appear conducive for this.

Members of the Iraqi Kurdish security forces pour gasoline over seized drugs before its incineration, Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan, Oct. 29, 2013.

Iraq urged to 'starve’ those profiting from rising drug trade

An apparent increase in drug trafficking into the country from both its eastern and western borders, with fallout from instability in Afghanistan and 'mafia' groups in Syria as well as use of illicit substances in Iraq, has raised concern.

Officers of the US-led international coalition against the Islamic State stand outside the Joint Operations Center in the Green Zone, Baghdad, Iraq, Dec. 9, 2021.

Iraq continues to kill, capture IS members as effectiveness questioned

Iraqi security forces have captured and killed a number of key Islamic State facilitators and others in the past month amid a US mission transition and concerns over coordination.

A resident reacts as she walks down a debris-filled street in the area of Daratu, on the outskirts of Erbil, after flash floods caused by torrential rains left eight people dead, Iraqi Kurdistan, Dec. 17, 2021.

Floods hit Kurdistan region as drought leaves many Iraqis in need

Parts of northern Iraq have been hit by flooding after a year marked by drought, which many say is due to climate change likely to worsen in the coming years.

The secretary-general of the Arab Project, National Axis Alliance, Khamis al-Khanjar (2nd-R), arrives at the presidential palace in Baghdad on Feb. 27, 2019.

Iraqi Sunni parties compete for parliament speaker

Two large Sunni coalitions, the Taqaddom alliance led by Muhammad al-Halbusi and the Azm alliance led by Khamis al-Khanjar, are competing for the position of parliament speaker.

Ji Bo Azadiye

Turkey accused of blocking Kurdish film at Iraqi film festival

Turkey is accused of pressuring film festival organizers in Iraqi Kurdistan to cancel an award-winning movie depicting PKK forces.

Kakais Najwa Hamid (KDP) and Ahlam Ramazan (PUK) were elected to Iraqi parliament in October 2021.

Kakai minority scores two seats in Iraqi parliament

After years of absence, two female candidates from the Kakai minority managed to reach the Iraqi parliament following the fifth Iraqi legislative elections held on Oct. 10 for the provinces of Ninevah and Kirkuk.

Iraqi riot police protect the Turkish Embassy in Baghdad after calls on social media to gather outside the embassy to protest Turkey's vows to invade the northwestern enclave of Sinjar, Iraq, Feb. 18, 2021.

Turkey targets PKK-linked Yazidis inside Iraq

A local Yazidi armed group linked to the Kurdistan Workers Party and affiliated with the government-incorporated Popular Mobilization Units has been targeted as part of stepped-up Turkish cross-border operations.

iraq

Defeated Iraqi parties seek to get election results annulled

Iraq's federal court is expected to uphold the results of the election, which has been praised by Iraqi and international observers.

Iraqi Kurdish peshmerga fighters pose for a photo next to a military vehicle bearing the Kurdish flag after they reportedly captured several villages from the Islamic State in the district of Daquq on Sept. 11, 2015.

Jihadis from Syria blamed for multiple attacks on Iraqi Kurds

An onslaught of attacks on Kurdish peshmerga forces and villages in northern Iraq has sparked concerns over the presence of Islamic State cells and whether they have been bulked up by jihadis arriving from Syria.

Iraq HAWIJA

Six years later, ex-Islamic State stronghold in Iraq feels left behind

As a former ISIS stronghold, Hawija feels rejected and neglected both nationally and internationally.