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Iraq

June 23, 2026

Baghdad 6:22 pm

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

Breaking | Last Updated: June 23, 2026, 11:08 am

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

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

Culture

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

Iran says a number of team staff were denied entry into the US, with Trump administration officials touting efforts to prevent affiliates of designated terrorist groups from entering.

Latest News

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

Culture

10 MENA teams at 2026 World Cup: Morocco eyes title, Iran faces visa hurdles

Morocco's midfielder Azzedine Ounahi celebrates scoring with teammates during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group E African qualification football match between Morocco and Niger at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Sports Complex in Rabat on September 5, 2025. (Photo by Abdel Majid BZIOUAT / AFP)

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

This handout picture provided by the Iranian Army office on Dec. 24, 2023, shows soldiers attending the unveiling ceremony of a new missile system.

Iran’s new air base near border with Turkey: What we know

The unveiling of the base near the Turkish border comes amid Iranian concerns about Azerbaijan and Kurdish groups in Iraq.

Shiite Muslim devotees attend mourning rituals in Iraq's central holy shrine city of Karbala on August 23, 2024 ahead of the Arbaeen commemorations that mark the end of the 40-day mourning period for the seventh century killing of the Prophet Mohamed's grandson Imam Hussein ibn Ali. (Photo by Ali Abdul Wahid / Middle East Images / Middle East Images via AFP) (Photo by ALI ABDUL WAHID/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

On eve of Iran’s Pezeshkian visit, Iraq jostles for Shiite space amid rivalries

Ahead of a top-level visit by Iran’s new president, Iraq seems to be garnering greater attention as the go-to place for Shiites looking for an alternative to its eastern neighbor.

Shelly Kittleson

By Shelly Kittleson

In Baghdad, reporting on Iraqi politics

In this picture taken on April 25, 2023, mountains overlook the village of Hiror near the Turkish border in northern Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region, where firefights occur between the Turkish army and fighters from the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

Turkish soldier killed in PKK clash in Iraqi Kurdistan as Baghdad presses Ankara to withdraw

Recent civilian deaths have reignited calls from Iraqi officials for the withdrawal of thousands of Turkish troops deployed across Iraqi Kurdistan.

HADI MIZBAN/AFP via Getty Images

US-Iraq raids puts scrutiny on Baghdad’s ability to contain ISIS

Seven US troops were injured during raids to take down senior Islamic State operatives in Iraq’s western Anbar province last week amid a spike in ISIS attacks.

The mother (C) and father (2-R) of one of two women journalists killed in a drone strike walk past Kurdish Asayish security forces.

Civilian toll rises in Turkey’s attacks against Kurdish militants in Iraq

The recent spike in Turkish attacks comes at an especially critical time as Iraq's Kurdistan Region prepares to hold long-delayed parliamentary elections.

Kurt Reiniger, Swiss diplomat in charge of humanitarian affairs (L), arrives at the Swiss Embassy in Baghdad, on February 2, 2001.

After 33 years, what’s behind Switzerland reopening embassy in Iraq?

Switzerland closed its embassy in Baghdad in 1991 amid the Gulf War and is seeking cooperation with Iraq on migration amid an influx into Europe.

Iraqi fighters of the Hashed al-Shaabi stand next to a wall bearing the Islamic State (IS) group flag as they enter the city of Al Qaim as they fight against remnant pockets of Islamic State group jihadists on November 3, 2017.

Iraq says 14 ISIS members killed in airstrikes

Iraqi forces said ISIS leaders were among those killed in the desert strikes, as discussions on the US troop presence in the country and the group’s persistence in neighboring Syria continue.

AFP via Getty Images

Iraq downs Turkish drone over airspace violation, army says

The statement comes less than two weeks after Ankara and Baghdad signed a security cooperation deal, and as Turkish officials are preparing to host Iraqi, Emirati and Qatari officials for a major trade corridor project that will connect Iraq and Turkey.

AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey to host Iraq, Qatar, UAE officials for Development Road summit

The estimated $20 billion project was formalized during Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s official visit in April to Baghdad and will link Basra to Turkey via a rail and road network.

URS FLUEELER/AFP via Getty Images

Saudi FM makes unannounced visit to Iraq, meets Sudani: What we know

Saudi Arabia and Gulf states are showing increasing interest in Iran-dominated Iraq.

Iraqi security forces monitor the area during a demonstration to demand the withdrawal of the Turkish troops from the Bashiqa camp, located in the Mosul province, on Oct. 8, 2016, outside the Turkish Embassy in Baghdad.

Analysis

Turkey’s security pact with Iraq: Which side came out on top?

The most contested presence for Baghdad is the military base established by Turkish forces in 2015 near the Iraqi town of Bashiqa.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

PKK tunnel

Exclusive

From mountaintops to underground: PKK responds to Turkey’s drones

Serdar Yektas, spokesperson for the Kurdistan Workers Party's armed wing, told Al-Monitor that Turkey’s use of its home-manufactured drones has drastically changed the nature of the conflict between them.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture