Iraq - AL-MONITOR: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

Iran cover image

Iraq

August 1, 2026

Baghdad 1:10 pm

48°C

Mourners carry one of the bodies of members of Iraq's Hashed al-Shaabi, or Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) who were killed earlier in Diyala in central Iraq by US-Saudi strikes, during the funeral in Baghdad on July 29, 2026. The US-Saudi strikes killed at least 20 militants, including Iranians, according to the Hashed al-Shaabi. The US and Saudi Arabia said the strikes were in response to attacks on US forces and Saudi oil facilities. (Photo by murtadha ridha / AFP via Getty Images) /

Analysis

Renewed Iraq attacks test Zaidi’s push to disarm Iran-backed militias

An attempt by Iraqi government forces to seize weapons belonging to an Iranian-backed faction encountered resistance, raising questions about Prime Minister Ali Zaidi’s pledge to disarm militias by Sept. 30.

Mustafa Salim

By Mustafa Salim

Fighters lift flags of Iraq and paramilitary groups, including al-Nujaba and Kataib Hezbollah, during a funeral in Baghdad for five militants killed a day earlier in a US strike in northern Iraq, on Dec. 4, 2023.

Analysis

Iran-linked militias seek to draw Iraq into regional war

“Iran’s logic is the logic of war,” a Gulf regional official tells Al-Monitor.

Week in Review

By Week in Review

Patriot

Exclusive

US nears full withdrawal from Iraq as bases in Kurdistan Region face attacks from Iran, proxies

Patriot air-defense systems that detect and shoot down incoming missiles and drones have already been removed, sources told Al-Monitor.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Latest News

Zaidi cancels Riyadh trip after US-Saudi strikes on Iran-backed militias in Iraq

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi at a Council of Ministers meeting in Baghdad, July 25, 2026.

Explainer

Erdogan hosts Zaidi, touts ‘historic step’ in Turkey-Iraq energy ties

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan greets Iraq Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi upon his arrival in Ankara, July 28, 2026.

Zaidi to meet Erdogan as Turkey-Iraq ties take off, Kurds feel sidelined

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi speaks during a meeting with US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (not pictured) at the Pentagon on July 14, 2026 in Arlington, Virginia.

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

A protester holds an Iraqi flag amid a cloud of smoke from burning tires during ongoing anti-government protests in Najaf, Iraq November 26, 2019. REUTERS/Alaa al-Marjani - RC2ZID9MARY6

As chaos and violence consume Iraq, US keeps focus on deterring Iran

The Trump administration’s realism is well suited to the crisis in Iraq, with a clear red line on keeping out Iranian missiles.

University and college students attend the ongoing anti-government protests in Basra, Iraq December 3, 2019. REUTERS/Essam al-Sudani - RC2MND91MYMO

University students, religious seminaries keep flame of Iraq protests burning

As the Iraqi parliament fails to appoint a new prime minister, thousands of university students and religious seminary students join the protests.

Mazloum Kobani, Syrian Democratic Forces' (SDF) commander in chief, talks as he announces the destruction of Islamic State's control of land in eastern Syria, at al-Omar oil field in Deir Al Zor, Syria March 23, 2019. - RC1F71152EF0

SDF woos Syrian Kurdish rivals in wake of Turkish assault

Could the Syrian Democratic Forces and the Iraqi Kurdish-backed Kurdish National Council, long at loggerheads, come to an accord in the wake of Turkey's invasion of Kurdish-administered areas of Syria?

Iraqi protesters' deaths could lead to international court

Fed up with Iraqi authorities' lack of response so far, some activists are considering an international case against former Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi and others for their alleged roles in killing Iraqi demonstrators.

A view of the Iranian consulate after Iraqi demonstrators stormed and set fire to the building during ongoing anti-government protests in Najaf, Iraq November 28, 2019. REUTERS/Alaa al-Marjani - RC27KD96TF4I

Iranian consulates torched in Najaf and Karbala

Protesters attacked the Iranian consulates in the Iraqi holy cities of Najaf and Karbala over the past month, yet officials deny that protesters are anti-Iran.

What comes after Iraqi PM's resignation?

Following the Iraqi prime minister's resignation, the parliament is to appoint a new prime minister and move forward with demanded reforms.

Peshmerga unity depends on healing political divisions

Corruption and tribalism are two of the obstacles blocking the unification of Kurdish peshmerga forces.

Turkish soldiers stand on a watch tower at the Atmeh crossing on the Syrian-Turkish border, as seen from the Syrian side, in Idlib governorate, Syria May 31, 2019. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi - RC1525F30880

Despite stepped-up military actions, Turkey still faces jihadi threats

Ankara’s past haphazard policies complicate crackdown on IS; Iran hard-liners gain from protests; Syrian Kurds may not give up sales of Syrian oil to Damascus.

An Iraqi demonstrator carries an Iraqi flag during the ongoing anti-government protests in Baghdad, Iraq November 27, 2019. REUTERS/Thaier al-Sudani - RC2RJD9KYCGH

Iraq clamps down on media and broadcast networks covering protests

In order to reduce coverage of the protests in Iraq, the government has shut down several TV channels and warned others.

Syrian Kurdish refugees spout fury at Turkey’s Erdogan

At the Bardarash refugee camp in Iraqi Kurdistan, where over 10,000 Syrian Kurds are currently sheltering, any mention of Turkey prompts fury and disgust.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo holds a news conference at the Alliance headquarters in Brussels, Belgium November 20, 2019. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir - RC26FD9J436K

Pompeo urges Iranians to expose regime abuses

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged Iranians to continue sending messages exposing the Iranian regime’s brutal crackdown on recent widespread protests.

An Iraqi soldier is seen at the Iraqi-Syrian border, after it has been reopened for trade and travel, in Al Qaim, Iraq September 30, 2019. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani - RC1BBBE58A40

Amid ongoing unrest, Iraq refuses to receive IS detainees from Syria

Though Iraq previously said it would receive and prosecute foreign Islamic State fighters from Syria, it has now rescinded its offer.