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Iraq

November 5, 2026

Baghdad 7:27 pm

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Zaidi

Iraq's Zaidi meets Sharaa on first Syria visit: What to know

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has sought to assuage concerns about his past militant activity in Iraq, whose oil trade and security cooperation with his two country is rising.

Safin HAMID / AFP via Getty Images

Iran says deal reached with Iraq to expel Kurdish separatists: What to know

Iran said an agreement was reached with Iraq to expel or hand over members of Kurdish separatist groups based in Iraqi Kurdistan.

Trucks loaded with goods wait to cross over to Syria

Analysis

How Hormuz crisis is reshaping economic ties between Iraq and Syria

Iraq and Syria are expanding trade and energy cooperation, but security risks, economic challenges and longstanding mistrust raise questions about whether their growing partnership can endure.

Shelly Kittleson

By Shelly Kittleson

In Middle East, reporting on regional politics

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi meets with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Oct. 14, 2026, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Iraq’s Zaidi, Saudi crown prince discuss security as Houthi attacks escalate

Iraq has moved to improve ties with Saudi Arabia after Iran-backed militias struck the kingdom and amid the conflict with the Houthis in Yemen.

Latest News

Explainer

PKK pulls out of Metina in northern Iraq amid Turkey peace process

Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) fighters arrive in the northern Iraqi city of Dohuk on May 14, 2013, after leaving Turkey as part of a peace drive with Ankara.

Analysis

Why Syria and Iraq are taking different approaches to armed groups

Demonstrators ride through a street while waving Syrian flags

Shelly Kittleson

By Shelly Kittleson

In Middle East, reporting on regional politics

Iraq devalues dinar 13% as Hormuz disruption hits oil revenue

A man walks past a closed foreign exchange office in Baghdad on October 7, 2026. Iraq's central bank devalued the dinar currency against the dollar on October 7, with the country facing a deepening crisis brought on by the Middle East war. (Photo by AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP via Getty Images)

Explainer

What Iraq’s US troop withdrawal means for security after Kirkuk killings

A member of the Iraqi security forces flashes the victory sign during a military parade

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

A portrait of Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani is seen in the city of Najaf on July 11, 2017 as Iraqis take to the streets to celebrate a day after the government's announcement of the "liberation" of the embattled city of Mosul.
Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared Mosul finally retaken on July 10, as his forces fought to recapture a last sliver of territory still held by the jihadists in the Old City on the west bank of the Tigris River. / AFP PHOTO / Haidar HAMDANI (Photo credit sh

Kurds ask higher authority to end crisis with Baghdad

Kurds are now seeking to pressure the Iraqi central government from the top of the Shiite religious pyramid, asking Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani to help solve the crisis between Baghdad and Erbil.

The Erbil International Airport is seen in Erbil, Iraq September 29, 2017. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari - RC19D0FD09E0

Iraqi Kurdistan’s not so friendly skies opening again soon

Baghdad to formally take charge of Kurdistan Region airports and borders; shift in Syria strategy by Moscow may follow Russian presidential election; Jordan’s king and Turkish president find common ground.

Iraq's Kurdistan region's President Massoud Barzani waits to receive French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves le Drian and the French Defence Minister Florence Parly in Erbil, Iraq, August 26, 2017. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari - RC1FFD902C00

Iraqi budget drives another wedge between Baghdad, Kurds

Baghdad's parliament cut Kurdistan's budget this week, adding fuel to the fire regarding their disputes.

Police video of sex workers causes uproar in Iraqi Kurdistan

A video circulated on Kurdish social media showing a police filming of a group of women and men apparently caught in a brothel in Erbil stirred controversy in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region.

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 21: Special counsel Robert Mueller (C) leaves after a closed meeting with members of the Senate Judiciary Committee June 21, 2017 at the Capitol in Washington, DC. The committee meets with Mueller to discuss the firing of former FBI Director James Comey. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

The dealmaker: Mueller witness helped broker $4.2 billion Iraq-Russia arms deal

Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s latest interest, Lebanese-American businessman George Nader, has a long history of mysterious dealings in the Middle East despite a low profile in Washington.

United Arab Emirates

Death sentences cool warming Iraq-Turkey ties

Death sentences imposed by an Iraqi court on Turkish women affiliated with the Islamic State has put Turkey in a difficult spot with its stance on terrorism and puts a brake on what appeared to be improving relations with Baghdad.

Iraq’s legendary copper markets fade away

Iraqi's legendary copper markets, once centers of commerce and socialization, are now fading away, from Baghdad to Najaf.

'The Journey': An Iraqi film in Iraqi cinema after 27 years

Iraqi cinemas are making a comeback to display Iraqi films commercially, starting with director Mohammed al-Daradji's psychological thriller "The Journey."

A foreign wife of Islamic State militants holds her child at Hammam Al-Alil camp in south of Mosul, Iraq September 13, 2017. Picture taken September 13, 2017. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari - RC1F166AB320

Iraq orders execution of foreign women for IS involvement

Iraq is issuing death penalty and life sentences against foreign women found guilty of involvement with the Islamic State — and hundreds await trials.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sits in the audience ahead of a planned address at the Muni World 2018 conference in Tel Aviv, Israel February 14, 2018. REUTERS/Nir Elias - RC1B832C7E70

How could Bibi lose by offering 'ultimate deal' with Iran?

Israel Pulse columnist Akiva Eldar calls for direct Iran-Israel talks; Ali Akbar Velayati opposes Sadr-Communist bloc; Has Islamic State returned to Hawija?

Iraq increases taxes amid public discontent

The Iraqi government has increased non-oil revenues by imposing a sales tax to get $1.8 billion this year.

Families and relatives of Islamic State militants are see after they surrender themselves to the Kurdish Peshmerga forces in al-Ayadiya, northwest of Tal Afar, Iraq August 30, 2017. REUTERS/Ari Jalal - RC1763B750C0

Tribal laws determine fate of IS families in Iraq

The war has come to an end in Iraq’s western and northern areas, occupied by the Islamic State in 2014, but another battle has broken out between IS families and tribes whose members were killed by the group during its control of Ramadi and Mosul.