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Iraq

July 3, 2026

Baghdad 12:22 am

37°C

AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP via Getty Images

Here's what to know about Iraq's corruption as Zaidi launches crackdown

Watchdogs and financial institutions regard Iraq as a significantly corrupt country as the new prime minister works to recover public funds.

aqi security personnel patrol in a vehicle along a street in Baghdad on June 28, 2026.

Analysis

Iraqi PM’s anti-corruption drive comes as US pressure mounts on Iran-backed militias

Iraq’s new prime minister has launched a sweeping anti-corruption campaign ahead of key talks in Washington, but analysts say the real test will be whether it reaches Iraq’s most powerful Iran-backed actors.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

A worker at a market for fuel oil and automotive fuel on March 17, 2026, in Erbil, Iraq.

Explainer

After UAE and Qatar, could Iraq be next to leave OPEC?

Iraq is seeking a higher production quota as the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz has slashed oil revenues and plunged the country into a fiscal crisis.

Latest News

Iraq taps Krikor Der-Hagopian as first Armenian Christian ambassador to US

Krikor Der-Hagopian at the 9th Sulaimani Forum, in Sulaimaniyah, Iraq, on April 16, 2025.

Exclusive

Barrack heads to Iraq as US presses Baghdad on Iran-backed militias

Tom Barrack

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Culture

World Cup opens amid visa disputes for Iran, Iraq and Somalia

Members of the Iranian national soccer team including midfielder Alireza Jahanbakhsh (R) arrive at Tijuana International Airport on June 7, 2026, in Tijuana, Mexico.

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

Iraqi Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani (L) meets with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) in Ankara, June 20, 2023.

Erdogan, Barzani meet in Ankara as Iraqi oil exports via Turkey remain frozen

Prime Minister Masrour Barzani of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara as the deadlock continues over the exportation of Iraqi and KRG crude.

From Lara Dizeyee's latest collection "Ocean" dedicated to her mother, Ronak.

Culture

Iraqi Kurdistan's haute couture breaks into Paris Fashion Week

Lara Dizeyee, who will be showcasing her designs at Paris Fashion week in early July, has created a unique line of luxury wear blending Kurdish traditions with contemporary twists.

Workers install electric wires for Iraqi refugees as they set up a new part of the Khazir refugee camp near the Kurdish checkpoint of Aski Kalak, 40 kilometers (25 miles) west of Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan, Nov. 21, 2016.

Iraqi Kurdistan's first solar plant helps with power outages, boosts agriculture

The Kurdistan Regional Government’s efforts to increase renewable energy usage come amid persistent electricity shortages throughout Iraq, as well as rising environmental concerns.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) poses with Hungarian Prime minister Viktor Orbán after they met for discussions on Syria and migration on Nov. 7, 2019 in Budapest, Hungary.

Turkey Election: Foreign allies prematurely rush to congratulate Erdogan

In a split from standard diplomatic practices, the Turkish President’s foreign allies openly voiced their support of Erdogan ahead of a critical runoff poll.

Karwan Gaznay

Iraqi Kurdish politician survives assassination attempt

Tensions have been high for months between the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, though recent dialogue may have calmed the situation.

ISMAEL ADNAN/AFP via Getty Images

Iraq's parliament speaker Halbousi says Sunni community ‘cannot go back to the past'

In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, Iraq's parliament speaker discussed the turnaround among Iraqi Sunnis, relations with Iraq’s neighbors and why young Iraqis expect results.

Iraq Sako

Iraqi division intensifies between church, Christian Babylon Movement

The institutional Iraqi church and the Christian political party of Babylon are feuding over the leadership of Christian affairs in Iraq.

Iraq's Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein gives a joint press conference with his German counterpart at the foreign ministry headquarters in Baghdad on March 7, 2023. (Photo by Murtaja LATEEF / AFP) (Photo by MURTAJA LATEEF/AFP via Getty Images)

Iraqi FM expects continuity in ties with Turkey, no matter who wins election

Fuad Hussein says TotalEnergies deal “would change character of Iraqi economy,” discusses relations with the United States, Iran, Syria and Arab states.

Workers at the Northern Oil Company carry out maintenance work at the pumping station in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk.

Iraq asks Turkey to resume oil exports as firms in Kurdistan region scale back

Turkey has still yet to restart oil flows from northern Iraq following a controversial court ruling despite efforts by Iraqi and Kurdish authorities. The stoppage is threatening the Kurdistan Region’s oil sector.

HUSSEIN FALEH/AFP via Getty Images

Iraqi religious official dies of heart attack following escape from prison

Saad Kumbesh, the former head of Iraq's Sunni waqf, died after he was caught by police. He was serving time for corruption before his escape.

Turkey oil

Oil flow from Iraqi Kurdistan to Turkey remains stopped, threatening sector

Oil flows to Turkey remain frozen following the agreement between Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government. The impasse could hurt the autonomous region’s oil sector and revenue.

Iraqi children cross a flooded street in the Iraqi capital Baghdad after heavy rains, on Dec. 24, 2022.

Severe floods in Iraq leave several dead, adding to climate strains

Iraq is contending with both heavy rains and increasing desertification.