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Iraq

July 23, 2026

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Iraq

International oil firms halt production in Iraq’s Kurdistan amid US-Iran escalation

The move follows the deaths of two US service members in an Iranian attack on Jordan.

US President Donald Trump (R) shakes hands with Prime Minister of Iraq Ali al-Zaidi during a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office of the White House, Washington, July 14, 2026.

Analysis

What Zaidi's Washington visit means for US investment in Iraq

Iraq could greatly benefit from US investment in gas capture, which could help reduce the country's dependence on neighboring Iran.

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

Hussein FALEH / AFP via Getty Images

Chevron, ConocoPhillips advance Iraq's Hormuz alternatives

Oil agreements have been announced or are expected to be signed on Friday, toward the end of Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi's visit to the United States.

Latest News

Trump hosts Iraqi PM Zaidi as Iran war intensifies

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi meets with US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office at the White House, Washington, DC, July 14, 2026.

Analysis

On first foreign trip, Iraqi PM Zaidi woos Trump but Iran casts long shadow

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi at a Council of Ministers meeting in Baghdad on July 11, 2026.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Analysis

Can a UAE-backed Syria-Iraq corridor become Gulf's next trade route?

An aerial view shows port of the western Syrian port city of Latakia, on Dec. 18, 2024.

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

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

Iraq's fans hold up placards during the team's international friendly soccer match against Syria at Baghdad's Shaab stadium March 26, 2013. Iraq will be allowed to play friendly matches at home again following approval from soccer's world governing body FIFA on Thursday. Iraq were banned from playing all games at home for security reasons after losing a World Cup qualifier 2-0 to Jordan at the Franso Hariri Stadium in Arbil in September 2011. The reprieve does not apply to World Cup qualifiers for which Ira

Iraq’s Political Crisis Spreads To Sports Stadiums

Iraq’s political crisis has spread to the country’s soccer stadiums, with fans from rival teams carrying out politically motivated attacks against one another.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki (L) speaks next to Iraq's Deputy Prime Minister for Energy Hussain al-Shahristani during a meeting of the Council of Ministers in Kirkuk, 250 km (155 miles) north of Baghdad May 8, 2012. On top right hangs a picture of Iraq's President Jalal Talabani. REUTERS/Iraqi Prime Minister Media Office/Handout (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS) FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY

Speculation Mounts in Iraq Over Maliki’s Health

Across the Iraqi media, speculation has been rife about the current health of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, with conflicting reports from government and opposition sources.

Ammar al-Hakim (L), leader of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (ISCI) and Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr hold a news conference in Najaf, 160 km (100 miles) south of Baghdad, May 8, 2013. REUTERS/Haider Ala (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS) - RTXZEUL

Iraqi Shiite Political Leaders Opposing Al-Maliki

Two of Iraq’s top Shiite leaders, Muqtada al-Sadr and Ammar al-Hakim, recently met to discuss current political affairs.

U.S. President Barack Obama (L) and Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan take part in a family photo during the G20 Summit of major world economies in Cannes November 3, 2011. REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer (FRANCE - Tags: POLITICS BUSINESS) - RTR2TKEP

Obama’s Talking PointsFor Erdogan

Henri Barkey considers what President Obama might, and should, say about Syria when he meets Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan in Washington on May 16.

A man repairs shoes in his shop as locals pass through on a street in the town of Cizre in Sirnak province, near the border with Syria March 23, 2013. Turkey's fledgling peace process with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group is all over the headlines. After three decades of war, 40,000 deaths and a devastating impact on the local economy, everybody seems ready for peace. Pro-Kurdish politicians are focused on boosting minority rights and stronger local government for the Kurds, who make up abou

The Kurdish Minority Within the Syrian War

Professor Eyal Zisser, expert on Syria, explains to Shlomi Eldar the divisions and discord among the Kurds living where the Syrian, Iraqi and Turkish borders converge, and how this will impact the future of Syria.

A girl holds a Turkish national flag as she visits the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of modern Turkey, during a ceremony to mark National Sovereignty and Child's Day in Ankara April 23, 2013. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS) - RTXYWM1

Turkey’s ‘Peace Process’ Is Just Starting

The politics of the Turkish-Kurdish peace initiative are just beginning to play out for Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Murat Karayilan, acting military commander of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), speaks during an interview with Reuters at the Qandil mountains near the Iraq-Turkish border in Sulaimaniya, 330 km (205 miles) northeast of Baghdad March 24, 2013. Shattered stone houses recall Turkish air strikes on Kurdish rebels holed up in the Qandil mountains of northern Iraq. Life is harsh amid the snowcapped peaks, supplies are sparse and armed forays across into Turkey perilous in the extreme. Yet rebel chief Abdullah

PKK's Withdrawal From Turkey Shows Peace Process On Track

Murat Karayilan, a leader of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), is taking the peace file with Turkey from imprisoned Abdullah Ocalan, signaling normalization of the process, writes Kadri Gursel.

People cross a flooded area in Sheikh Saad district, south Baghdad, May 6, 2013. Heavy rains flood villages in southeastern Iraq forcing people to evacuate their homes as waves of water covered streets and houses. Picture taken May 6, 2013. REUTERS/Jaafer Abed (IRAQ - Tags: ENVIRONMENT) - RTXZDIR

Floods Cause Severe Damage In Southern Iraq

Southern Iraq has been hit with heavy rains for the past week, resulting in significant human and material losses.

Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) fighters talk to each other as they stand guard at the Qandil mountains near the Iraq-Turkish border in Sulaimaniya, 330 km (205 miles) northeast of Baghdad March 24, 2013. Shattered stone houses recall Turkish air strikes on Kurdish rebels holed up in the Qandil mountains of northern Iraq. Life is harsh amid the snowcapped peaks, supplies are sparse and armed forays across into Turkey perilous in the extreme. Yet rebel chief Abdullah Ocalan, who declared a ceasefire from his T

PKK Challenges Barzani In Iraqi Kurdistan

Denise Natali writes that the withdrawal of Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) forces from Turkey and developments in Syria will keep the Kurdish nationalist movement fragmented from within and across borders.

(L-R) Ammar al-Hakim, leader of the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council (ISCI), Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, Kurdish regional President Masoud Barzani and Iraq's Shi'ite Vice President Adel Abdul-Mahdi attend a meeting in Baghdad November 9, 2010. REUTERS/Iraqi Government/Handout (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS) FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS - RTX

Will the Iraqi Cabinet Meet In Kurdistan Region?

Iraqi and Kurdistan Regional Government sources have confirmed that a cabinet meeting will be held in Erbil, reports Ali Abel Sadah.

A platform at a makeshift camp is removed by heavy equipment at a public square in Hawija, near Kirkuk, 170 km (100 miles) north of Baghdad April 23, 2013. Iraqi forces stormed the Sunni Muslim protest camp on Tuesday, and more than 50 people were killed in the ensuing clashes which spread beyond the town of Hawija, to other areas.Picture taken April 23, 2013. REUTERS/Stringer (IRAQ - Tags: CIVIL UNREST MILITARY POLITICS) - RTXYZJD

Human Rights Watch Slams Iraqi Government for Hawija

The Iraqi government is being held accountable for the attack on demonstrators in Hawija on April 23 that resulted in 50 deaths, writes Mushreq Abbas.

An aerial view of the city of Arbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdistan region, about 350 km (217 miles) north of Baghdad, March 19, 2013. Picture taken March 19, 2013. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari (IRAQ - Tags: CITYSCAPE) - RTR3F8BQ

Iraqi Kurdistan Real Estate Market Makes a Comeback

Progress made in the political dispute between Baghdad and Erbil has reflected positively on the economic situation in the Kurdistan Region, writes Abdel Hamid Zebari.