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Iraq

July 28, 2026

Baghdad 1:27 am

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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.

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

The Iraqi prime minister's visits to Ankara and Riyadh underscore Baghdad's push to deepen regional ties as Turkey seeks closer cooperation on energy and security.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi is welcomed to the Saadabad Palace in Tehran by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, July 23, 2026.

Analysis

Zaidi’s test in Tehran

Week in Review

By Week in Review

Iranian Presidential Office / AFP via Getty Images

Iraq deepens Iran ties days after US investment push

The Iraqi premier visited Tehran shortly after his trip to Washington for talks focusing on economic cooperation and plans to develop a cross-border railway network.

Iraq

International oil firms halt production in Iraq’s Kurdistan amid US-Iran escalation

The move follows the deaths of two US service members in an Iranian attack on Jordan.

Latest News

Analysis

What Zaidi's Washington visit means for US investment in Iraq

US President Donald Trump (R) shakes hands with Prime Minister of Iraq Ali al-Zaidi during a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office of the White House, Washington, July 14, 2026.

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

Chevron, ConocoPhillips advance Iraq's Hormuz alternatives

Hussein FALEH / AFP via Getty Images

Trump hosts Iraqi PM Zaidi as Iran war intensifies

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi meets with US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office at the White House, Washington, DC, July 14, 2026.

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

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (center left) meets with KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Feb. 29, 2024.

Analysis

Biden administration backs ‘resilient’ Iraqi Kurdistan Region

Visit of Iraqi Kurdistan PM Barzani to Washington a message to Baghdad and Iran.

Week in Review

Andrew Parasiliti

By Week in Review , Andrew Parasiliti

MOHAMMED SAWAF/AFP via Getty Images

Iraq reopens major Baiji oil refinery after 10 years of closure

The North Oil Refinery was taken by the Islamic State in 2014 and took years to rehabilitate.

China Railway Express Chang'an freight train arrives at the Ankara train station, Turkey, on November 6, 2019. The first freight train, "Trans-Caspian China Railway Express", departing from China and going to Europe by using Marmaray, was sent off at Ankara Station.

Can Turkey, Iraq pull off 'Dry Canal' project?

While experts believe the ‘Dry Canal’ project involving road and rail networks faces an uphill battle, the initiative seems to stand a better chance than its alternatives.

The Kurdish-run al-Hol camp in Syria holds relatives of suspected Islamic State (ISIS) fighters and others, Hasakeh governorate, Aug. 26, 2022.

Life after al-Hol: Iraqi women’s uneasy return from ranks of ISIS

Iraq has repatriated thousands of women with suspected ties to ISIS, but reintegration is difficult as many face legal discrimination and social stigma.

A portrait of Abu Baqr al-Saadi, a prominent leader of Kataib Hezbollah killed in a strike a day earlier by a US drone in Baghdad, is plastered on a car during his funeral in Baghdad, Feb. 8, 2024.

What’s next for Iraq and the US after drone strike killed militia leader?

The Iraqi government strongly condemned the US strike that killed Abu Baqir al-Saadi, as did Iran-backed militias in the country.

People watch as a vehicle that was hit by a drone strike, reportedly killing three people including two leaders of a pro-Iran group, is carried away in Baghdad on Feb. 7, 2024.

US brings retribution to Iran-backed militia leader in Baghdad strike

The assassination of a Kataib Hezbollah commander in Baghdad on Wednesday came as the US military has struggled to intimidate Iran-backed groups without escalating towards direct conflict with Iran amid tensions over Israel’s war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Baghdad

US strike in Baghdad kills Kataib Hezbollah commander as Iraq tensions simmer

A Telegram channel affiliated with Iraq's Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) reported that Abu Baqir al-Saadi, a commander in Kataib Hezbollah, was killed in the attack.

Two bank employees count dollars and Iraqi dinars in Baghdad on Sept. 28, 2000.

Why Iraq's dinar is trading below official dollar rate amid new restrictions

A top US official visited Iraqi officials last week to discuss countering illicit finance and strengthening Iraq’s financial system.

Jared Elizabeth US-Iran proxy webinar

US confrontation with Iran’s proxies: Live Q&A with Jared Szuba and Elizabeth Hagedorn

Fighters lift flags of Iraq and paramilitary groups, including al-Nujaba and Kataib Hezbollah.

Analysis

Why did Kataib Hezbollah suspend attacks on US forces in Iraq?

The Iraqi militia’s announcement was the result of Iranian influence and Iraqi political developments, analysts say, ahead of a looming US military response to the killing of American soldiers in Jordan.

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

A man lifts a placard depicting slain Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani (L) and Iraqi commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, as fighters bearing flags of Iraq and paramilitary groups, including al-Nujaba and Kataib Hezbollah, march during a funeral in Baghdad for five militants killed a day earlier in a US strike in northern Iraq, on December 4, 2023. Dozens of mourners gathered on December 4 for the funeral of the five militants killed the previous day near Kirkuk in what a US military official described as a "s

Iraq's Kataib Hezbollah announces suspension of attacks against US forces

The decision follows a deadly strike on US forces in Jordan and ahead of anticipated retaliation by Washington.

A soldier loads up onto an American plane near Mosul, Iraq.

US, Iraq to begin talks over potential end to coalition presence

There have been no decisions to withdraw US troops from either Iraq or Syria, US officials say, but the Biden administration is open to weighing future options.