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Iraq

July 31, 2026

Baghdad 2:19 am

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Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi at a Council of Ministers meeting in Baghdad, July 25, 2026.

Zaidi cancels Riyadh trip after US-Saudi strikes on Iran-backed militias in Iraq

The move comes after Riyadh joined Washington in targeting Iraqi militias, dealing a setback to Baghdad's efforts to strengthen ties with Gulf Arab states.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan greets Iraq Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi upon his arrival in Ankara, July 28, 2026.

Explainer

Erdogan hosts Zaidi, touts ‘historic step’ in Turkey-Iraq energy ties

The Turkish president outlined Ankara’s priorities with the new Iraqi government during the Iraqi leader’s first visit to Turkey: security, energy cooperation and the Development Road.

Latest News

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

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.

Analysis

Zaidi’s test in Tehran

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

Week in Review

By Week in Review

Iraq deepens Iran ties days after US investment push

Iranian Presidential Office / AFP via Getty Images

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

Iraq

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

Yazidi activist Nadia Murad to appear on 'The Daily Show'

Murad's appearance on the popular US talk and news satire show could showcase her efforts to combat sexual violence and trafficking to a new and big audience.

<<enter caption here>> on April 13, 2015 in Baghdad, Iraq.

Assassinations, kidnappings shake Baghdad

Journalists and activists fear being targeted as another wave of protests and violence occur in Iraq.

Iraqi army aircraft damaged in rocket attack on Camp Taji

The attack is the latest in a long-running series of low-level attacks believed to be carried out by Iran-sponsored militias in Iraq.

Iraqi PM calls for investigation after two protesters killed in Baghdad

The prime minister said security forces have 72 hours to finish their investigation into the protester deaths.

Iraqi security forces stand guard at a checkpoint enforcing a curfew due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic during the Eid al-Fitr holiday which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan, in Baghdad on May 26, 2020. (Photo by AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP) (Photo by AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP via Getty Images)

Iraq issues 'total curfew' for Eid al-Adha

COVID-19 cases have increased to historic highs of around 2,000 a day in Iraq.

The Iraqi parliament votes on the new Iraqi government, headed by Adel Abdul Mahdi, October 24, 2018 in Baghdad. - The Iraqi parliament on Thursday approved 14 new cabinet ministers proposed by prime minister-designate Adel Abdel Mahdi, even as key portfolios such as defence and interior affairs remain unassigned, an official said. A total of 220 lawmakers out of 329 elected in May to a deeply divided parliamant, approved Mahdi's 14 picks, including for the ministries of foreign affairs, finances, and petro

Iraqi government not giving up on early elections

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi is seeking to manage disparate political blocs to allow early electons.

Rockets hit Iraqi base used by coalition troops, no casualties

The attack came as the US-led coalition prepares to hand over the base to Iraqi security forces.

German woman kidnapped in Baghdad freed in Iraqi operation

German national Hella Mewis, who was abducted outside of her office in Baghdad on Monday evening, was freed in an operation carried out by Iraqi security forces.

Iraqi doctors under siege as they battle surge in COVID-19 cases

Doctors complain that they have been suffering violence and abuse from some families who blame medical personnel for patients' COVID-19 deaths.

Iraq's coronavirus cases top 100,000 as Baghdad airport reopens

The Health Ministry reported 2,361 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, bringing the total to 102,226.

An Iraqi woman looks at the damage outside her house in a residential area of the capital, Baghdad, on July 13, 2015, the day after a car bomb explosion. A string of bomb explosions, including two suicide attacks, killed at least 21 people and wounded 62 in Shiite-dominated neighbourhoods of Baghdad, Iraqi police and medical sources said. AFP PHOTO / SABAH ARAR (Photo credit should read SABAH ARAR/AFP via Getty Images)

Serious housing crisis creeps up on Iraq

Iraq is facing a difficcult housing crisis due to oil prices dropping amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Demonstrators block a road during a protest in the southern city of Basra on July 14, 2020, as protesters gathered to denounce the lack of electricity and services. (Photo by Hussein FALEH / AFP) (Photo by HUSSEIN FALEH/AFP via Getty Images)

Iran's supreme leader to Iraqi PM: Iran does not interfere in Iraq-US relations

During Iraqi prime minister's trip to Iran, the two countries emphasized on building a constructive relationship based on mutual respect and national interests.