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Iraq

July 28, 2026

Baghdad 1:32 pm

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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

Sunset shot showing a row of electricity pylons in the desert, Dubai, United Arab Emirates (Getty Images)

Analysis

2022 in review: Saudi-China, Qatar-Germany deals cap Middle East's energy developments

Hydrogen power, oil price fluctuations and electric vehicles could feature prominently in the region in 2023.

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

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

An Iraqi man counts Iraqi dinars as he exchanges them for US dollars at a money exchange office, Baghdad, Iraq, Dec. 12 2007.

Iraq's Central Bank moves to strengthen dinar against US dollar

The plan includes a measure to buy more Chinese yuan. Other states are also considering using the yuan more.

AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP via Getty Images

Iraqi PM orders 'unconventional methods' to stop Islamic State attacks

The killing of soldiers and civilians in multiple IS attacks in two governorates has prompted calls for a change in tactics.

Dignitaries pose together in a family photo at the start of the Baghdad Conference for Cooperation and Partnership.

Iraqi PM stresses need for regional reconciliation at summit in Jordan

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani attended the second round of the Baghdad conference today in Jordan and expressed Iraq's willingness to push forward on regional cooperation and partnership.

Governor Rakan al-Jabouri (C) attends the repatriation ceremony for members of Iraq's federal police members who were killed in suspected IS attack, at Kirkuk airport in northern Iraq on December 18, 2022. (Photo by MARWAN IBRAHIM/AFP via Getty Images)

Latest Islamic State attack highlights security challenges facing Iraq

The Islamic State continues to carry out attacks in northern Iraq, creating serious security challenges for the country.

A Yazidi girl catches a scarf in a religious ritual at the Lalish temple in Dahuk, Nov. 17, 2022.

Yazidis in Iraqi Kurdistan face 'extinction,' community leaders say

As Yazidis struggle to survive in displacement camps in Iraq, one community leader continues to help women survivors of the Islamic State genocide to resettle in Europe.

A man walks past the World Bank building in Washington on April 21, 2022.

World Bank says debt increasing in Middle East countries

Egypt, Iran and Turkey’s debt rose significantly last year.

cafe

Arab influx to Iraqi Kurdistan helps revive economy but corrupts local culture, critics say

Iraqi Kurds are alarmed by the influx of Arabs into their region, fearing they will dilute their ethnic identity and corrupt their values. Yet the Arabs are critical to the region's economy, which increasingly caters to their needs.

A man walks past a French-language daily newspaper stand displaying the final issue of Algerian French-language daily newspaper "Liberté" in Algeria's capital Algiers on April 14, 2022. (Photo by RYAD KRAMDI/AFP via Getty Images)

In press freedom index, Middle Eastern countries go from bad to worse

Press freedom and journalist safety remain “very bad” in the majority of the Middle East and North Africa nations, Reporters Without Borders' 2022 index shows.

Iraqi Prime Minister Muhammad Shia al-Sudani meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Riyadh, Dec. 9, 2022.

Iraqi PM calls for closer ties with China

During the Arab-China Summit in Riyadh, Muhammad Shia al-Sudani expressed Iraq's willingness to join the Belt and Road Initiative and expand ties and relationship with China.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani addresses Middle East Research Institute Workshop on ‘Iraq’s Immediate Priorities’ in Baghdad, Dec. 7, 2022.

Analysis

Iran looms large over Iraqi PM’s reform agenda

Mohammed Shia al-Sudani’s government is seeking a fast start amid uncertainty in Iran.

Week in Review

By Week in Review

Barzanis

Family feuds among Iraq’s Kurdish leaders embolden Iran

Iraqi Kurdish leaders are at each other’s throats instead of closing ranks as Iran rains cross-border missile and drone attacks on the region and threatens a ground invasion.