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Iraq

July 23, 2026

Baghdad 11:21 pm

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Iraq deepens Iran ties days after US investment push

The Iraqi premier visited Tehran shortly after his trip to Washington for talks focusing on economic cooperation and plans to develop a cross-border railway network.

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

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 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.

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.