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Iraq

June 29, 2026

Baghdad 10:00 am

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A worker at a market for fuel oil and automotive fuel on March 17, 2026, in Erbil, Iraq.

Explainer

After UAE and Qatar, could Iraq be next to leave OPEC?

Iraq is seeking a higher production quota as the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz has slashed oil revenues and plunged the country into a fiscal crisis.

Krikor Der-Hagopian at the 9th Sulaimani Forum, in Sulaimaniyah, Iraq, on April 16, 2025.

Iraq taps Krikor Der-Hagopian as first Armenian Christian ambassador to US

Baghdad’s pick of a US-educated Armenian Christian adviser as envoy to Washington underscores a bid to reset US-Iraq ties and broaden the country’s diplomatic profile.

Tom Barrack

Exclusive

Barrack heads to Iraq as US presses Baghdad on Iran-backed militias

US envoy Tom Barrack is due to meet with Iraq’s new prime minister and other top officials in Baghdad, where he will likely press US demands for Iran-backed Shiite militias be dismantled and disarmed.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Latest News

Culture

World Cup opens amid visa disputes for Iran, Iraq and Somalia

Members of the Iranian national soccer team including midfielder Alireza Jahanbakhsh (R) arrive at Tijuana International Airport on June 7, 2026, in Tijuana, Mexico.

Syria says Iraqi oil shipments surge as Damascus courts foreign energy investment

A long convoys of Iraqi diesel-laden tanker trucks line up along the highway Tartus-Baniyas highway as they wait to unload their cargo at the Baniyas port refinery on the Mediterranean Sea, on April 15, 2026.

Israel-Iran escalation grounds flights across parts of Middle East

An Airbus A321 airliner arrives at the Mehrabad international airport during the delivery of the first batch of planes to the Iranian state airline Iran Air in the capital Tehran on Jaunary 12, 2017. - The aircraft arrived as part of an order for 100 other Airbus planes with a list price of around $20 billion (19 billion euros) on December 22, placed after the lifting of international sanctions on the Islamic republic. It will be used for internal flights landed at Tehran's Mehrabad airport. (Photo by ATTA

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

Why is holding early elections a nearly impossible task in Iraq?

Despite the promises of the Iraqi designate prime minister to hold early elections, it seems impossible to move forward with it.

Can this veteran singer save Kurdish people's forgotten tunes?

Kurdish singer Mazhar Khaliqi says the Kurds should use globalization and technology to carry their musical tradition beyond the borders of the Middle East.

Iran struggles to regain control of post-Soleimani PMU

After the loss of Soleimani and Muhandis, Iran is struggling to reorganize and reunite different PMU factions that previously operated under the guidance of Soleimani on behalf of Iran’s interests in Iraq.

Coronavirus in Iran prompts fears of spread in Iraq

The outbreak of coronavirus in Iran prompted a wave of anti-Iranian sentiment among Iraqi protesters, who called for the closure of the border.

A boy is seen near burning tires during a curfew, two days after the nationwide anti-government protests turned violent, in Baghdad, Iraq October 3, 2019. REUTERS/Wissm al-Okili - RC14A7A0A900

Protests bring to life a new generation in Iraq

Iraqis under the age of 18 have been participating in protests at higher rates than before.

New solar park to ease Iraqi governorate's power shortage

A solar energy park to be funded by the European Union is expected to help lessen Dohuk's daily power cuts in two years.

Palestinians in Iraq protesting to have their rights restored

Displaced Palestinians in Iraq who live in very poor conditions have joined the protests in Baghdad, demanding their rights as refugees who have lived in the country for decades.

Nasiriyah becomes the Iraqi protest capital

Nasiriyah has become the new capital of Iraq's protests after Sadrists in Baghdad cracked down on Tahrir Square, which was the center of protests since they began in October 2019.

Ancient, modern cultures still mingle in central Erbil's Ottoman masterpieces

Erbil's citadel and grand central market are living examples of the city's cultural heritage, which is both distinctly Ottoman and shaped by its local setting.

Has Sadr lost the Iraqi street?

Iraqi populist cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, after playing to the hopes and grievances of everyday Iraqis, may be losing some of his following as he plays for advantage among Iraq's political factions.

A woman searches for a gift for Valentine's Day at a gift shop in Mosul, Iraq February 13, 2019. Picture taken February 13, 2019. REUTERS/Khalid al-Mousily - RC18AACF06B0

Iraq celebrates Valentine's Day with red balloons, slogans

Baghdad turned red on Valentine's Day with celebrations of love, defying Muqtada al-Sadr’s call to separate men and women in the rallies.

Iraqi demonstrators and university students carry posters depicting the newly appointed Prime Minister of Iraq, Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi, to express their rejection of him, during ongoing anti-government protests in Baghdad, Iraq February 2, 2020. REUTERS/Wissm al-Okili - RC2CSE9SET8I

Iraqi prime minister-designate faces pressure on Cabinet choices

Political pressure on the prime minister-designate, Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi, could bring him down before he even forms a government.