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Iraq

January 14, 2026

Baghdad 5:08 pm

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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

Will PMU form an air force unit?

Iran-backed PMU factions are trying to form a PMU air force unit with Iranian support, but the top PMU leader says no.

Will PMU allow parliament to appoint its leaders?

Some Iraqi parliamentary blocs are working to mandate that parliament appoint the leaders of the Popular Mobilization Units.

Ninevah sheikh and ex-commander warn of ‘IS family camp dangers’

Nearly two years after its liberation from the Islamic State, Ninevah province is still struggling to deal with IS-linked displaced people.

Members of the Iraqi parliament are seen vote on remaining cabinet ministers at the parliament headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq June 24, 2019. Iraqi parliament media office/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY - RC1BDF0579B0

Iraqi opposition parties form shadow government

Some Iraqi political forces are poised to form a shadow government, but other Iraqi groups say the effort is a fool's errand.

Visitors enter the ancient city of Babylon near Hilla, 100 km (62 miles) south of Baghdad April 5, 2012. In the ancient city of Babylon, once home to the fabled Hanging Gardens, an extended oil pipeline has churned through the dirt and dug up a conundrum: which takes precedence, preserving Iraq's heritage or developing its oil wealth? The definitive answer will probably be decades coming. But for the moment, oil appears to have the edge. The site of ancient Mesopotamia, said by some to be the birthplace of

Burial of unidentified Iraqi bodies sparks sectarian debate

Iraqi Sunnis accuse the government of trying to cover up Shiite violence against them by burying bodies of displaced persons who haven't been identified.

Members of Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) carry their weapons as they shout slogans at their headquarters in the holy city of Najaf, Iraq July 2, 2019. REUTERS/Alaa Al-Marjani - RC1F77CF3350

Will Iran retaliate after recent Israeli attacks?

Israel seems to be provoking Iran by striking the latter's proxies in Iraq and Lebanon. But Tehran is not showing willingness to directly engage in an all-out war with Tel Aviv.

U.S. President Donald Trump stands behind a U.S. Space Command flag with Vice President Mike Pence and Defense Secretary Mark Esper at an event to officially launch the United States Space Command in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, U.S., August 29, 2019. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque - RC1E707D9440

Pentagon touts Space Command as boon to Middle East role

The Donald Trump administration's launch of a Pentagon command to defend US space orbiting satellites could give Middle East commanders a boost in protecting their eyes and ears on the battlefield.

Iraqi decision to remove Shabak PMU from Ninevah Plains stirs conflict

A dispute over the presence of Popular Mobilization Units in the Ninevah Plains raises concerns about the recurrence of conflict in the area.

Members of the Popular Mobilisation Forces (MPF) carry the coffin of a fighter, who was killed by an unmanned aircraft close to the Syrian border in Anbar, during his funeral in Najaf, Iraq August 26, 2019. REUTERS/Alaa al-Marjani - RC15DE813700

Israeli strikes raise questions about US presence in Iraq

A suspected Israeli strike against an Iran-backed convoy in Iraq has raised political doubts about the long-term American troop presence there.

Mandaeans perform religious rituals during the Benja festival along the Tigris river in Baghdad March 16, 2016. REUTERS/Ahmed Saad - GF10000347592

Iraqi Mandaeans fear extinction

The Mandaean community in Iraq is dwindling to such low numbers that its members fear extinction.

Iraq poised for ambitious plan after Babylon listed by UNESCO

Baghdad lobbied for more than three decades to get Babylon on UNESCO World Heritage List, but the way ahead may be even more difficult.

Vehicles of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces, are seen near the building belonging to Popular Mobilization Forces in Basra, Iraq September 8, 2018. REUTERS/Alaa al-Marjani - RC1A26D72410

Will Iran-backed factions attack US troops in Iraq?

Pro-Iranian militias in the Popular Mobilization Units are calling for taking strong action against the United States and for even targeting its presence in Iraq.