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Iraq

January 18, 2026

Baghdad 11:27 am

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From Egypt to Lebanon: What’s at stake for regional states on Trump’s visa ban list?

The State Department claimed that citizens from the affected countries are more likely to use social welfare services at a high rate.

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.

Latest News

Analysis

Venezuelan crisis unlikely to impact MENA crude exporters in short term

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.

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

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.

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

Mourners carry the coffin of a protester who was killed in Saturday's demonstrations in Baghdad, during a funeral in Najaf, Iraq, February 14, 2017. REUTERS / Alaa Al-Marjani TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTSYND7

Who is involved in killing of Baghdad demonstrators?

The political crisis has escalated significantly in Iraq after security forces grew violent against protesters.

Former Mosul governor Atheel al-Nujaifi speaks during an interview with Reuters in Erbil, in Iraq's Kurdistan region October 4, 2016. Picture taken October 4, 2016. REUTERS/Khalid al Mousily - RTSQTUJ

Interview

Will Mosul witness a political battle post-IS?

In an interview with Al-Monitor, former governor of Ninevah province Atheel al-Nujaifi discussed post-Islamic State Ninevah, the motives behind the arrest warrants against him and the need for international assistance in the aftermath of the battle of Mosul.

Atheel al-Nujaifi

Former governor of Iraq's Ninevah province

Iraqis walk in the street after returning to their homes in Mosul, Iraq, February 3, 2017. REUTERS/Ahmed Saad - RTX2ZJ35

Displaced Iraqis leave camps as smoke clears in east Mosul

Hundreds of displaced Iraqis are returning home to eastern Mosul, though the liberated districts still suffer from a lack of security and public services.

Turkish military vehicles drive in the Syrian rebel-held town of al-Rai, as they head towards the northern Syrian town of al-Bab, Syria January 9, 2017. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi - RTX2Y60D

Can Turkey take on Raqqa before concluding al-Bab?

Turkey is expanding its targets by proposing to partner with the United States at Raqqa before ending its al-Bab operation, a course that is laden with traps.

A member of a counter-radiation team uses a Geiger counter to search for missing radioactive material in Basra, Iraq, February 21, 2016. Radioactive material that went missing in Iraq has been found dumped near a petrol station in the southern town of Zubair, officials said on Sunday, ending speculation it could be acquired by Islamic State and used as a weapon. The officials told Reuters the material, stored in a protective case the size of a laptop computer, was undamaged and there were no concerns about

Radiation danger raises concern, controversy in Iraq

In light of an apparent increase in the amount and impact of radioactive contamination in some areas of Iraq, and the inability of the Iraqi government to deal with this matter, Iraq needs international financial and technical support to deal with pollution caused by the remnants of war.

Members of the Iranian revolutionary guard march during a parade to commemorate the anniversary of the Iran-Iraq war (1980-88), in Tehran September 22, 2011. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo - RTX2O269

Iran chooses Quds Force stalwart for new ambassador to Iraq

Iran has appointed a senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps official and Quds Force adviser to be its new ambassador in Iraq, raising concerns that Iran plans to strengthen Iraq's Shiite militias in the post-Islamic State era.

Iraqi Christians come to visit the heavily damaged Church of the Immaculate Conception after Iraqi forces recaptured it from Islamic State in Qaraqosh, near Mosul, Iraq, December 9, 2016. REUTERS/Ammar Awad - RTSVFQP

Trump no savior for Iraq's Christian minority

Many Iraqi minorities supported Donald Trump's candidacy for president, but his visa ban has changed minds.

U.S. President Donald Trump salutes as he arrives aboard Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S. January 26, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RTSXJL3

The colonels shaping Trump's Middle East policy

Who’s who in the Trump NSC: The retired military intelligence officers who helped David Petraeus with the surge in Iraq are now shaping policies for a president who says the United States should have never invaded Iraq.

U.S. President Donald Trump signs an executive order to impose tighter vetting of travelers entering the United States, at the Pentagon in Washington, U.S., January 27, 2017. The executive order signed by Trump imposes a four-month travel ban on refugees entering the United States and a 90-day hold on travelers from Syria, Iran and five other Muslim-majority countries. Picture taken January 27, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Barria - RTSXWM6

Trump urged to name religious freedom envoy to smooth out bumpy Mideast policy

Former ambassadors say Donald Trump is in dire need of an expert to "school" him on Islam.

Iraqi army tanks are seen in Mosul, Iraq, January 28, 2017. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari - RTSXRKU

Iraqi forces prepare to retake western Mosul

Iraqi forces are prepping to liberate densely populated western Mosul from the Islamic State, which is expected to put up a fierce fight.

U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis (L) welcomes Jordan King Abdullah at the Pentagon in Washington, U.S., January 30, 2017. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas - RTSY39K

Why king’s visit to Washington was essential for Jordan

King Abdullah’s visit to the United States, where he met with President Donald Trump, helped reassure Jordanians that US military and economic support for the kingdom will continue.

Controversial canal again sparks dispute in Iraq

The Khor Abdullah maritime canal between Kuwait and Iraq has ignited a political crisis in Iraq amid accusations that Iraq's Cabinet gave away Iraqi territory.