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Iraq

January 15, 2026

Baghdad 4:02 am

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Sadaf Ebrahimi walks down a row of demonstrators at Lafayette Park in front of the White House during the "Free Iran" rally on Jan 10, 2026, in Washington.

Analysis

Trump dials up risky Iran tariffs that would hit China, UAE and others: What to know

Any country trading with Iran now faces a 25% tariff, per the White House, but the move is unlikely to ratchet up pressure on Tehran in the short term.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Iranians gather while blocking a street during a protest in Tehran, Iran, on Jan. 9, 2026.

From Iraq to Yemen, how Iran proxies are responding to protests

Iraqi militias and the Houthis are growing more vocal in their defense of Iran amid the protests sweeping the country, while Hezbollah and Palestinian groups are remaining relatively quiet.

Safin HAMID / AFP via Getty Images

Sharaa tells Iraq's Barzani Kurds integral to Syria amid fears of Aleppo spillover

More than 140,000 people have been displaced by fighting between Syrian government and Kurdish forces in Aleppo and the situation has captured the attention of Kurdistan Region and federal government leaders in neighboring Iraq.

The Iranian-flagged oil tanker Fortune is docked at the El Palito refinery after its arrival to Puerto Cabello in the northern state of Carabobo, Venezuela, on May 25, 2020.

Analysis

Venezuelan crisis unlikely to impact MENA crude exporters in short term

Oil prices inched up on Monday as global oversupply concerns outweighed output disruption fears over the upheaval in Venezuela.

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

Latest News

Analysis

After Iraq’s election, what are US priorities for next government?

Armoured vehicles of the Iraqi Counter Terrorism Forces are deployed outside the US embassy building in Baghdad's Green Zone on June 12, 2025, after an announcement by a US official the previous day that staff levels at the diplomatic mission in Iraq were being reduced over security concerns. Despite reporting progress in earlier rounds of talks between Iran and the United States, tensions have reached a fever pitch this week as Washington moved non-essential staff from bases in the region following US medi

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

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

Syria seizes anti-aircraft missiles near Iraqi border: What to know

Syria's security directorate in al-Bukamal seized SAM-7 missiles being prepared for smuggling into Iraq, on Dec. 22, 2025.

Analysis

What Turkey wants from Iraq to renew pipeline deal

A worker turns a valve at the Shirawa oil field, where oil was first pumped in Iraq in 1927, outside the northern city of Kirkuk, Jan. 19, 2004.

David O'Byrne

By David O'Byrne

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

Andrew Parasiliti

President and Chief Content Officer

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, national security

Suadad al-Salhy

In Baghdad, reporting on politics and security

Lyse Mauvais

In Amman, reporting on humanitarian crises

A portrait of Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani is seen in the city of Najaf on July 11, 2017 as Iraqis take to the streets to celebrate a day after the government's announcement of the "liberation" of the embattled city of Mosul.
Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared Mosul finally retaken on July 10, as his forces fought to recapture a last sliver of territory still held by the jihadists in the Old City on the west bank of the Tigris River. / AFP PHOTO / Haidar HAMDANI (Photo credit sh

Kurds ask higher authority to end crisis with Baghdad

Kurds are now seeking to pressure the Iraqi central government from the top of the Shiite religious pyramid, asking Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani to help solve the crisis between Baghdad and Erbil.

The Erbil International Airport is seen in Erbil, Iraq September 29, 2017. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari - RC19D0FD09E0

Iraqi Kurdistan’s not so friendly skies opening again soon

Baghdad to formally take charge of Kurdistan Region airports and borders; shift in Syria strategy by Moscow may follow Russian presidential election; Jordan’s king and Turkish president find common ground.

Iraq's Kurdistan region's President Massoud Barzani waits to receive French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves le Drian and the French Defence Minister Florence Parly in Erbil, Iraq, August 26, 2017. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari - RC1FFD902C00

Iraqi budget drives another wedge between Baghdad, Kurds

Baghdad's parliament cut Kurdistan's budget this week, adding fuel to the fire regarding their disputes.

Police video of sex workers causes uproar in Iraqi Kurdistan

A video circulated on Kurdish social media showing a police filming of a group of women and men apparently caught in a brothel in Erbil stirred controversy in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region.

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 21: Special counsel Robert Mueller (C) leaves after a closed meeting with members of the Senate Judiciary Committee June 21, 2017 at the Capitol in Washington, DC. The committee meets with Mueller to discuss the firing of former FBI Director James Comey. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

The dealmaker: Mueller witness helped broker $4.2 billion Iraq-Russia arms deal

Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s latest interest, Lebanese-American businessman George Nader, has a long history of mysterious dealings in the Middle East despite a low profile in Washington.

United Arab Emirates

Death sentences cool warming Iraq-Turkey ties

Death sentences imposed by an Iraqi court on Turkish women affiliated with the Islamic State has put Turkey in a difficult spot with its stance on terrorism and puts a brake on what appeared to be improving relations with Baghdad.

Iraq’s legendary copper markets fade away

Iraqi's legendary copper markets, once centers of commerce and socialization, are now fading away, from Baghdad to Najaf.

'The Journey': An Iraqi film in Iraqi cinema after 27 years

Iraqi cinemas are making a comeback to display Iraqi films commercially, starting with director Mohammed al-Daradji's psychological thriller "The Journey."

A foreign wife of Islamic State militants holds her child at Hammam Al-Alil camp in south of Mosul, Iraq September 13, 2017. Picture taken September 13, 2017. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari - RC1F166AB320

Iraq orders execution of foreign women for IS involvement

Iraq is issuing death penalty and life sentences against foreign women found guilty of involvement with the Islamic State — and hundreds await trials.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sits in the audience ahead of a planned address at the Muni World 2018 conference in Tel Aviv, Israel February 14, 2018. REUTERS/Nir Elias - RC1B832C7E70

How could Bibi lose by offering 'ultimate deal' with Iran?

Israel Pulse columnist Akiva Eldar calls for direct Iran-Israel talks; Ali Akbar Velayati opposes Sadr-Communist bloc; Has Islamic State returned to Hawija?

Iraq increases taxes amid public discontent

The Iraqi government has increased non-oil revenues by imposing a sales tax to get $1.8 billion this year.

Families and relatives of Islamic State militants are see after they surrender themselves to the Kurdish Peshmerga forces in al-Ayadiya, northwest of Tal Afar, Iraq August 30, 2017. REUTERS/Ari Jalal - RC1763B750C0

Tribal laws determine fate of IS families in Iraq

The war has come to an end in Iraq’s western and northern areas, occupied by the Islamic State in 2014, but another battle has broken out between IS families and tribes whose members were killed by the group during its control of Ramadi and Mosul.