Newsletter: Daily Briefing Lebanon becomes first Arab country to abolish death penalty Hormuz shipping traffic falls to one-week low amid hostilities; Netanyahu rejects Trump’s Gaza plan while quietly implementing it; and more. By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
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. By A correspondent in Tehran In Tehran, reporting on politics
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. 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. By Barin Kayaoglu In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security
Newsletter: Daily Briefing Israel strikes south Lebanon after 2 soldiers killed By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Newsletter: Daily Briefing Iran denies negotiations with US after Trump calls off strikes By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Could Sistani Be Iraq’s Last Hope? Many in Iraq are looking to the country’s highest Shiite authority, Ali al-Sistani, as a last resort for a solution to the ongoing and dire political crisis there, writes Ali Abel Sadah. Iraq
Sunni Tribes in Anbar, Kirkuk Prepare for Battle In the wake of the Hawija incidents where Sunni protesters were killed and injured by military forces, tribes and towns throughout the provinces of Anbar and Kirkuk are arming themselves, writes Ali Abel Sadah. Iraq
KRG Prime MinisterBreaks Ice in Baghdad Iraqi Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani’s Baghdad visit seemed to offer glimmers of hope for resolving tensions between Baghdad and the Kurdistan Region, writes Mustafa al-Kadhimi. Iraq
Iraqi Workers Lack Laws To Protect Their Rights In an economy lacking in diversity, many Iraqis seek refuge in government employment, placing an enormous burden on a government struggling to provide legislation that will protect their rights, writes Omar al-Shaher. Iraq
Iraq Plans to Launch Satellite To Deal With Water Crisis As part of efforts to monitor desertification and growing water shortages across the country, Iraq is working to build and launch a satellite before the end of the year, writes Omar al-Shaher. Iraq
Iraqi Government Bans TV Channels Over Coverage of Protest Violence The Iraqi government has banned 10 TV channels for covering the violence in Hawija, further raising political tensions in the country, writes Mushreq Abbas. Iraq
Erbil Sends Forces to Outskirts Of Kirkuk, Enraging Baghdad Baghdad considers the Iraqi Kurdistan Region's deployment of peshmerga to the outskirts of Kirkuk to be escalatory and provocative, writes Abdel Hamid Zebari. Iraq
Saudi Wahhabi Sheikh Calls On Iraq's Jihadists to Kill Shiites A Saudi Wahhabi sheikh has issued a fatwa in which he calls on jihadists in Iraq to kill Shiites, including women and children, in another sign of the bitter sectarian conflict dividing the region, writes Haytham Mouzahem. Iraq
Iraqi Sectarian Violence Spreads After Hawija Deaths After dozens were killed when the Iraqi army stormed demonstrations in Hawija, sectarian violence seems to be escalating despite truce efforts, writes Ali Abel Sadah. Iraq
Iraqi Kurdistan Faces A Hot Political Summer Massoud Barzani faces competition in his unprecedented bid for a third term in the coming presidential elections in Iraqi Kurdistan, writes Abdel Hamid Zebari. Iraq
Iraqi Kurdistan Parties Concerned About New Electoral Law Minor political parties in Iraq’s Kurdistan region have expressed concerns that the new electoral system will not allow for proper representation, writes Abdel Hamid Zebari. Iraq
Iraqis Turn to Civil Disobedience In Anbar, Ninevah Provinces Opposition leaders have called for civil disobedience in reaction to Iraq's prime minister calling protesters "insurgents," writes Omar al-Shaher. Iraq