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

Iran cover image

Iraq

August 12, 2026

Baghdad 10:29 pm

41°C

The commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Esmail Qaani, speaks during a commemoration ceremony marking the anniversary of the 2020 killing of Guards general Qasem Soleimani (on screen) in the capital Tehran on Jan. 3, 2024.

Analysis

What Qaani's Baghdad visit reveals about Iran's post-war dilemma

The Quds Force commander's Baghdad visit is occurring as Iran faced difficult choices in Iraq where the government is moving to bring powerful armed groups under state control after the recent war.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Qaani

IRGC chief Qaani reportedly in Iraq ahead of militia deadline

Esmail Qaani, who heads the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force, has been heavily involved in Iran’s relations with Iraqi militias.

a worker inspects an oil field in Iraq

Analysis

How Turkey is deepening energy and economic ties with Iraq as Iran weakens

Turkey and Iraq are accelerating energy, infrastructure and trade cooperation as the Hormuz crisis increases the strategic value of northern export routes.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Latest News

Iraqi Kurdish president’s meeting with Syria’s Sharaa signals shift in SDF dynamics

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa meets with Iraqi Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani in Damascus, Aug. 3, 2026. IKRPresident/X

Analysis

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

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) /

Mustafa Salim

By Mustafa Salim

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

Men hold Kurdish flags and a poster of Kurdistan leader Masoud Barazani during a Nowruz celebration organized by Kurdish groups at the seaside town of Rawshe in Beirut, March 21, 2013. REUTERS/Sharif Karim (LEBANON - Tags: RELIGION POLITICS) - RTR3FA2H

Kurdish National Congress Seeks Unity Amid Divisions

The Kurdish National Congress, to be held in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region on Aug. 24, will seek a common agenda for Kurds divided over the war in Syria.

Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki (C) and acting Defence Minister Saadoun al-Dulaimi (L) attend a funeral ceremony for soldiers killed by militants, in Baghdad April 28, 2013. Militants shot dead five Iraqi soldiers in the Sunni Muslim stronghold province of Anbar on Saturday and protesters said they were forming an "army" after four days of unrest that raised fears of a return to widespread sectarian civil conflict. REUTERS/Stringer (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY CIVIL UNREST) - RTXZ2Y6

Is Maliki Considering Postponing Iraq's Parliamentary Elections?

There is speculation in Baghdad that Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki may consider postponing Iraq's parliamentary elections scheduled for next year.

A woman applies lipstick at a beauty parlour in Baghdad September 21, 2011. As Iraq's violence ebbs and Baghdad life stabilizes, hair salons, gyms or beauty centres are starting to flourish again in the capital, bringing the city's women the touch of glamour they lost during the country's bloody sectarian strife and the economic sanctions in the 1990s. Picture taken September 21, 2011. REUTERS/Stringer (IRAQ - Tags: SOCIETY) - RTR2SK4Q

Slowly, Surely Iraqi Women Increase Visibility, Role in Society

Although religious and conservative groups call for limiting the role of women in Iraqi society, women continue to flourish in the business and educational worlds.

A member of the Muslim Brotherhood and supporter of deposed Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi climbs up the main door of the Attorney General's office to spray a graffiti, which reads "Interior thugs", above posters of Mursi during a protest at the courthouse in downtown Cairo August 5, 2013. Several thousand Islamist supporters of Mursi marched through downtown Cairo on Monday calling for his reinstatement and denouncing the army general who led his overthrow. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh (EGYPT - Tags: POLIT

How Iraqis Assess Egypt's Coup

Iraqis who view the Middle East’s developments from a purely sectarian perspective would do well to reconsider that approach as regional events play out.

Women march during a rally to mark "Al Quds" or Jerusalem Day in Baghdad, August 2, 2013. REUTERS/Saad Shalash(IRAQ - Tags: CIVIL UNREST) - RTX12859

Iraqi Government Suppresses Baghdad Demonstrations

The Iraqi government exercises its power to allow and reject popular demonstrations at will.

Relatives of missing people wait to fill application forms at a Human Rights office in Ramadi, 100 km (60 miles) west of Baghdad February 26, 2012. The Human Rights ministry in Iraq launched a campaign to test DNA and identify bodies. Around 300 suspected mass graves have been discovered around Iraq since Saddam Hussein was overthrown in 2003. Picture taken February 26, 2012. REUTERS/Ali al-Mashhadani (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR2YKDR

Iraq’s Civilian Activists Under Siege

Civilian activists in Iraq have increasingly been subject to attacks, killings and threats from the authorities, militias and terrorist organizations.

A passenger walks beside a train in a train station in Baghdad May 6, 2013. Iraq's infrastructure is dilapidated after decades of war, sanctions and economic decline. In a country where piles of rubble and incomplete buildings are commonplace, almost every sector needs investment, including electricity and the sewage system. But the country is laying plans to rebuild its historic railways and become a transit hub for goods that would be shipped from Asia to Iraq’s neighbours and beyond. Iraq's railways date

Iraqi Women Endure Sexual Harassment

Increasing awareness of sexual harassment and abuse endured by Iraqi women on a daily basis has shed light on the need for social institutions to combat this kind of injustice.

Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki speaks during the International Islamic Conference for the Convergence and Dialogue in Baghdad April 27, 2013. REUTERS/Mohammed Ameen (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS RELIGION) - RTXZ1MF

Iraqi Politician Calls On Maliki to Step Down

Iraqi politician Fakhri Kareem has called on Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to form a national salvation government and step down.

Two children carrying food and water walk in front of the shrine
containing the tomb of Jewish prophet Ezekiel in the Iraqi town of
Kifl, 140 km south of Baghdad, on Wednesday, July 16,2003. The town,
which has drawn visitors from across Iraq and beyond because of the
shrine and its picturesque ancient market, was the scene of a fierce
battle in which hundreds of people died during the Iraq war but it is
now bustling again. REUTERS/Stefano Rellandini REUTERS

SR/CLH/ - RTRL2O

Israel's Iraq Channel

Exiled Iraqi Jews in Israel and elsewhere are convinced that the moment has come for Israel to build bridges to Iraq.

A soldier waves to pilgrims marching towards Imam Moussa al-Kadhim shrine in Baghdad's Kadhimiya district June 4, 2013. Every year, thousands of Shi'ite pilgrims gather at the shrine to commemorate the death of Imam Moussa al-Kadhim, one of the 12 imams of Shi'ite, who was imprisoned for four years and poisoned by the then ruler Harun al-Rashid in 795 AD. REUTERS/Saad Shalash (IRAQ - Tags: RELIGION MILITARY) - RTX10B2B

Iraq’s Security Services in Crisis

Iraq's security services are finding themselves unable to prevent terrorism.

An employee of the state-run South Oil Company (SOC) walks near a new oil storage tank near the southern city of Basra January 14, 2013. The head of the state-run South Oil Company said the new facility will add a capacity of one million barrels to the existing 5.5 million barrels available. REUTERS/Atef Hassan (IRAQ - Tags: ENERGY) - RTR3CG6E

OPEC Again Excludes Iraq from Oil Quotas

Decades of war and international sanctions have greatly hindered Iraq’s oil production potential, an issue the current government is struggling to address.

An electrician uses an Avometer to check wires connected to his local generator on a street in Baghdad, December 13, 2011. Iraq's financial system is slowly embracing the free market after years of tight control under Saddam; a fledging stock market is attracting foreign money while the banking and telecommunications industries are growing rapidly. But the national grid provides only a few hours of intermittent power a day, forcing Iraqis to live off noisy diesel-fueled generators. Picture taken December 13

Iraq Suffers Power Crisis As Temperatures Soar

Frustration continues to mount in Iraq with the government unable to deliver sufficient electricity despite eight years of promises by officials.