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Iraq

August 2, 2026

Baghdad 2:44 am

39°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

TOPSHOT - A fighter of the Hashed Al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization units) flashes the victory gesture while carrying a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) launcher during the advance through the town of Tal Afar, west of Mosul, after the Iraqi government announced the launch of the operation to retake it from Islamic State (IS) group control, on August 26, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / AHMAD AL-RUBAYE (Photo credit should read AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images)

As US pressure increases on Iran-backed militias, they turn to Iran

Iran-backed PMU factions are under intense pressure from the Iraqi government and the public, leading them to Iran.

An Iraqi woman arrives to cast her vote at a polling station during the parliamentary election in the Sadr city district of Baghdad, Iraq May 12, 2018. REUTERS/Thaier al-Sudani TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RC18D4CCE020

Amendments to Iraqi provincial elections law spark controversy

Large political blocs in the Iraqi parliament voted for a new law organizing provincial elections for 2020 that gives the blocs an advantage over smaller groupings.

Oil, budgets, Kirkuk still nag Baghdad-Erbil relations

Baghdad and Iraqi Kurdistan representatives have held a series of high-level meetings to try to resolve their longstanding issues, but so far without much apparent success.

US sanctions on a Christian militiaman reignite conflict among Iraqi Christians

As the United States imposes sanctions on a Christian militiaman, conflict among Iraqi Christians flares up.

More victims of Saddam's purge found, Kurds seek justice

The recent discovery of additional mass graves of Iraqi Kurds is prompting renewed calls for collaborators with the former Iraqi regime to be prosecuted.

Basra church restored, but few Christians left to worship there

Basra's Virgin Mary Chaldean Church has reopened after a $228,000 renovation, but the Christians still in the city are dwindling.

Iraqi fighters of the Hashed al-Shaabi units stand guard during a campaign gathering for the Fateh Alliance, a coalition of Iranian-supported militia groups, in Baghdad on May 7, 2018, ahead of Iraq's parliamentary elections to be held on May 12. (Photo by AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP) (Photo credit should read AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images)

Iraq’s ever-increasing enforced disappearances

The number of forcibly disappeared persons in Iraq remains significant, amid no serious measures from the Iraqi government to address the issue.

Division threatens Islamic Dawa after Maliki’s reelection

The Islamic Dawa Party could on the verge of division after the reelection of Nouri al Maliki as its secretary-general; however, many party leaders see the party as continuing to be a strong and unified one.

Israeli Air Force F-35 flies during an aerial demonstration at a graduation ceremony for Israeli air force pilots at the Hatzerim air base in southern Israel December 26, 2018. REUTERS/Amir Cohen - RC1B826A4350

Tinderbox: Israeli military attacks in Iraq could complicate US strategy in Middle East

Washington may need to draw some red lines to protect its larger regional interests.

Israel's Transportation and Intelligence Minister Yisrael Katz arrives ahead of the weekly cabinet meeting at the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem September 12, 2018. Thomas Coex/Pool via Reuters - RC12A230DEA0

Is positive sentiment toward Israel on the rise in Iraq?

After an Iraqi ambassador made seemingly friendly comments about Israel, Iraqi politicians have made it known that Iraq will not stand for normalization.

Members of Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) walk as they enter their headquarters in the holy city of Najaf, Iraq July 2, 2019. REUTERS/Alaa Al-Marjani - RC1350C4F160

Shiite military factions have long way to integrate into state forces

Despite Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi's decree about the Popular Mobilization Units, they have a long way to go to integrate into state forces.

A farmer helps an excavator to unload wheat grain at a silo in Mosul, Iraq June 12, 2019. Picture taken June 12, 2019. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari - RC15C546A580

Iraq achieves self-sufficiency in strategic crops

Despite the floods and fires, Iraq has achieved self sufficiency in producing crops this year.