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Iraq

August 13, 2026

Baghdad 11:18 am

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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

People cross a flooded area in Sheikh Saad district, south Baghdad, May 6, 2013. Heavy rains flood villages in southeastern Iraq forcing people to evacuate their homes as waves of water covered streets and houses. Picture taken May 6, 2013. REUTERS/Jaafer Abed (IRAQ - Tags: ENVIRONMENT) - RTXZDIR

Floods Cause Severe Damage In Southern Iraq

Southern Iraq has been hit with heavy rains for the past week, resulting in significant human and material losses.

Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) fighters talk to each other as they stand guard at the Qandil mountains near the Iraq-Turkish border in Sulaimaniya, 330 km (205 miles) northeast of Baghdad March 24, 2013. Shattered stone houses recall Turkish air strikes on Kurdish rebels holed up in the Qandil mountains of northern Iraq. Life is harsh amid the snowcapped peaks, supplies are sparse and armed forays across into Turkey perilous in the extreme. Yet rebel chief Abdullah Ocalan, who declared a ceasefire from his T

PKK Challenges Barzani In Iraqi Kurdistan

Denise Natali writes that the withdrawal of Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) forces from Turkey and developments in Syria will keep the Kurdish nationalist movement fragmented from within and across borders.

(L-R) Ammar al-Hakim, leader of the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council (ISCI), Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, Kurdish regional President Masoud Barzani and Iraq's Shi'ite Vice President Adel Abdul-Mahdi attend a meeting in Baghdad November 9, 2010. REUTERS/Iraqi Government/Handout (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS) FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS - RTX

Will the Iraqi Cabinet Meet In Kurdistan Region?

Iraqi and Kurdistan Regional Government sources have confirmed that a cabinet meeting will be held in Erbil, reports Ali Abel Sadah.

A platform at a makeshift camp is removed by heavy equipment at a public square in Hawija, near Kirkuk, 170 km (100 miles) north of Baghdad April 23, 2013. Iraqi forces stormed the Sunni Muslim protest camp on Tuesday, and more than 50 people were killed in the ensuing clashes which spread beyond the town of Hawija, to other areas.Picture taken April 23, 2013. REUTERS/Stringer (IRAQ - Tags: CIVIL UNREST MILITARY POLITICS) - RTXYZJD

Human Rights Watch Slams Iraqi Government for Hawija

The Iraqi government is being held accountable for the attack on demonstrators in Hawija on April 23 that resulted in 50 deaths, writes Mushreq Abbas.

An aerial view of the city of Arbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdistan region, about 350 km (217 miles) north of Baghdad, March 19, 2013. Picture taken March 19, 2013. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari (IRAQ - Tags: CITYSCAPE) - RTR3F8BQ

Iraqi Kurdistan Real Estate Market Makes a Comeback

Progress made in the political dispute between Baghdad and Erbil has reflected positively on the economic situation in the Kurdistan Region, writes Abdel Hamid Zebari.

Iraqi Sunni Muslims wave the old flags of Iraq during an anti-government demonstration in Falluja, 50 km (31 miles) west of Baghdad May 3, 2013. Tens of thousands of Sunni Muslims poured onto the streets of Ramadi and Falluja in the western province of Anbar following Friday prayers, in their biggest show of strength since the outbreak of protests last year. REUTERS/Mohanned Faisal (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS RELIGION CIVIL UNREST) - RTXZ987

Iraq's Sunni-Shiite DivideAbout Governance

Iraq needs a political solution that recognizes the grievances of Iraq's Sunni populations and regions, Harith Hasan writes.

Malta-flagged Iranian crude oil supertanker "Delvar" is seen anchored off Singapore March 1, 2012. Western trade sanctions against Iran are strangling its oil exports even before they go into effect, a U.S. advisory body has found, amid warnings that any shortages will only push up crude prices and strain a weak global economy. REUTERS/Tim Chong (SINGAPORE - Tags: ENERGY BUSINESS MARITIME TRANSPORT) - RTR2YO8E

US Complicates Turkey’s Energy Interests in Iraq, Iran

US sanctions on Iran and its disapproval of energy investments in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq have complicated Turkey’s energy policies, writes Olgu Okumus.

Iraqi Sunni Muslims participate in an anti-government demonstration in Falluja, 50 km (31 miles) west of Baghdad May 3, 2013. Tens of thousands of Sunni Muslims poured onto the streets of Ramadi and Falluja in the western province of Anbar following Friday prayers, in their biggest show of strength since the outbreak of protests last year. REUTERS/Mohanned Faisal (IRAQ - Tags: RELIGION POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTXZ985

Truce Proposal Splits Sunni Protesters in Iraq

A truce proposal between Sunnis protesting in Anbar and the Iraqi government has been accepted by some Sunnis but rejected by others, reports Ali Abel Sadah.

Relatives carry the coffin of an Iraqi soldier killed by militants during a funeral in Najaf, 160 km (100 miles) south of 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/Haider Ala (IRAQ - Tags: CIVIL UNREST MILITARY) - RTXZ2XI

State Failure Behind Iraqi Sectarian Violence

Failures in post-invasion state-building are fueling ongoing sectarian strife in Iraq, writes Narav Salahaddin.

Iraq's fans hold up placards during the team's international friendly soccer match against Syria at Baghdad's Shaab stadium March 26, 2013. Iraq will be allowed to play friendly matches at home again following approval from soccer's world governing body FIFA on Thursday. Iraq were banned from playing all games at home for security reasons after losing a World Cup qualifier 2-0 to Jordan at the Franso Hariri Stadium in Arbil in September 2011. The reprieve does not apply to World Cup qualifiers for which Ira

Iraq's Housing Crisis Worsens Amid High Population Growth

According to figures released by Iraq's Ministry of Planning, Iraq witnessed significant population growth in 2012, further exacerbating the country's housing crisis, writes Omar al-Shaher.

A protester holds up a picture of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr during a rally at the coastal town of Qatif, against Sheikh Nimr's arrest July 8, 2012. Sheikh Nimr, a prominent Shi'ite Muslim cleric who was wanted by the police, was detained in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province on Sunday over calls for more rights for the minority Muslim sect in the Sunni monarchy, his brother and an activist said. REUTERS/Stringer (SAUDI ARABIA - Tags: CIVIL UNREST RELIGION POLITICS) - RTR34QU9

Saudi Arabia Clamps Down On Dissent

Haytham Mouzahem asks whether recent Saudi actions are tied to efforts to quell sectarian dissent and contain any spillover from either the Shiite-based uprising in Bahrain or the Syrian crisis.

A view of a destroyed makeshift camp at a public square in Hawija, near Kirkuk, 170 km (100 miles) north of Baghdad April 23, 2013. Iraqi forces stormed the Sunni Muslim protest camp on Tuesday, and more than 50 people were killed in the ensuing clashes which spread beyond the town of Hawija, to other areas. Picture taken April 23, 2013. REUTERS/Stringer (IRAQ - Tags: CIVIL UNREST MILITARY POLITICS) - RTXYZEU

The Limits of Alliance in Iraq Between Kurds, Sunni Arabs

Without agreement on key nationalist issues, particularly the boundaries of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, alignments between Iraq's Kurdish and Sunni groups against the prime inister are likely to be tactical and short-lived, writes Denise Natali.