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

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Iraq

March 18, 2026

Baghdad 2:45 am

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An Iraqi oil tanker waits at the Khawr Abd Allah canal leading up to Al-Faw port in southern Iraq, on June 6, 2024.

Desperate to sell its oil, Iraq turns to Turkey amid standoff with Kurds

As Iraq looks to reroute oil to Turkey, Baghdad is also using the plan to push the Iraqi Kurds to greenlight exports through their territory.

Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

CENTCOM: Six killed after US refueling tanker aircraft crashes in Iraq

The KC-135 is the fourth American military aircraft downed since the war against Iran began.

Retired Israeli general and executive director of Tel Aviv University's Institute for National Security Studies Amos Yadlin attends a session at the Manama Dialogue security conference in the Bahraini capital, on Dec. 5, 2020.

Interview

Yadlin: Israel's war goal to weaken Iran, not immediate regime change

Israeli leaders are aware that Washington will decide when the war ends whether or not Israel has achieved its war aims, Yadlin told Al-Monitor.

Commercial vessels are pictured offshore in Dubai on March 11, 2026. AFP via Getty Images

Oil jumps above $100 as energy crisis called worst in history: What to know

The latest spike is the second time in a week that oil prices have climbed above $100 a barrel.

Latest News

US warns of kidnapping threat in Iraq as Iran-backed militia hits diplomatic facility

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.

Exclusive

Baghdad, US turn to Iraqi Kurds for oil exports as Iran war hits supplies

The sun sets behind burning gas flares at the Dora Oil Refinery Complex in Baghdad on Nov. 24, 2025.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Why Israel's looking to Kurds to make gains against Iran regime

Kurdish Peshmerga fighters affiliated with PAK train on Jan. 18, 2026, near Erbil, Iraq.

Analysis

CIA, Mossad bolster Iran’s Kurds as US, Israel seek to ignite military revolt

Osama Al Maqdoni / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

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

Iraq establishes National Oil Company

To help further develop Iraq’s energy sector, parliament recently passed a law that establishes the National Oil Company for oil extraction and manufacturing.

Kuwaiti Shiites gather before the Iranian embassy in Kuwait City on March 7, 2018 to demonstrate calling for the release of Iranian Shiite cleric Hossein al-Shirazi, who was arrested in the Iranian Shiite holy city of Qom a month prior. / AFP PHOTO / YASSER AL-ZAYYAT (Photo credit should read YASSER AL-ZAYYAT/AFP/Getty Images)

Iran risks losing clout in Iraq by arresting Shiite cleric Shirazi

The arrest in Iran of cleric Hussein Shirazi, who belongs to an influential religious family in Iraq, sparked outrage and protests among his supporters in several countries.

Iran says IS resurgence could hamper oil deal with Iraq

An Iranian official warns that numerous attacks in Iraq have created security concerns that are preventing the countries from completing their oil deal, but some Iraqis think the Kurdistan Regional Government has engineered the situation because it no longer controls the oil.

Iraqi and Turkish soldiers wave flags at the Habur Border Gate between Turkey and Iraq in this still image taken from video, October 31, 2017. IHA/ via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. TURKEY OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN TURKEY. PART NO ACCESS TURKEY.? - RC19E8A7C400

Turkey poised to open a military front in Iraq

Improved relations between Iraq and Turkey have raised the possibility of a joint offensive against Kurdish militants in northern Iraq.

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."