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Iraq

September 6, 2026

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A man walks past a mural depicting oil pumps and the Venezuelan flag, with portraits of Venezuelan independence leader Simon Bolivar (L) and former late President Hugo Chavez (R), in Caracas, Venezuela, on Sept. 3, 2026.

Analysis

Could Trump’s oil push in Venezuela upend OPEC’s energy order?

Washington’s growing role in controlling the Latin American country's crude riches could help reshape an energy order centered on OPEC as the Hormuz crisis pressures Gulf exports.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images

After gun found in lake, French police probe link to 2012 Iraqi family murder

A recently discovered Luger pistol may have been used in the mysterious 2012 killing of the al-Hilli family near the Alpine town of Chevaline in eastern France.

AFP via Getty Images

Iraq sentences kidnapper of US journalist Shelly Kittleson to 15 years: What to know

The first sentencing in relation to Shelly Kittleson’s abduction comes as Iraq moves to rein in Iran-backed militias.

Iraqi army troops patrol the Iraq-Saudi Arabia border

Iraq reinforces Saudi border security amid militia tensions: What to know

Iraq is sending the reinforcements in response to Iran-backed militia attacks and as it looks to build security ties with Riyadh.

Latest News

Iraq summons Iran envoy over 'Persian Gulf' post, Baghdad name origins: What to know

Fred TANNEAU / AFP via Getty Images

Exclusive

Iraq's Zaidi set to make European debut with Macron in France

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi delivers a speech in Baghdad, May 16, 2026.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

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

Protesters demand that the pensions of parliamentarians be cancelled during a demonstration in Baghdad, August 31, 2013. REUTERS/Thaier al-Sudani (IRAQ - Tags - Tags: POLITICS BUSINESS EMPLOYMENT SOCIETY CIVIL UNREST) - RTX132E8

Iraqi Secularists Struggle To Establish Political Presence

With Iraq's national culture characterized by sectarian divisions, Iraqi secularists have had difficulty gaining traction in post-2003 politics.

Baghdad, IRAQ: TO GO WITH AFP ARABIC STORY BY AHMAD AL-RUBAYE
Young Iraqi singer Hassan Hadi registers the songs of his new album at a studio in Baghdad, 14 July 2007. Unlike neighboring countries, singing became rare in Iraq due to the violence tearing apart the war plagued country. AFP PHOTO/AHMAD AL-RUBAYE (Photo credit should read AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images)

Iraqi Music Tinged by Violent, Turbulent Times

With musical trends typically reflecting the times of any particular society, Iraqi music today is increasingly characterized by themes of war and violence.

Iraq's Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari (back) receives the newly appointed ambassador of Saudi Arabia to Iraq, Mohanned Sleman al-Zaid, at the headquarters of the Foreign Ministry in Baghdad March 26, 2012. REUTERS/Mohammed Ameen (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR2ZWZ0

Saudi Arabia Vies For Influence in Iraq

Riyadh has reached out to tribal sheikhs in southern Iraq in what some see as a continuation of the ongoing Saudi-Iranian competition for influence in the region.

Iraqis carry a poster of top Shi'ite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani during a demonstration in Najaf, 160 km (100 miles) south of Baghdad June 13, 2007. Dozens of residents took to the streets in Najaf protesting the latest bomb attack in Samarra's Golden Mosque Shi'ite shrine. REUTERS/Ali Abu Shish (IRAQ) - RTR1QQY3

Clerics Play Crucial Role In Iraq’s Sectarian Conflict

As sectarian violence continues to plague Iraq, the government must focus on bringing together Sunni and Shiite preachers to reconcile their views and calm the tension among their followers.

Boys play soccer in an abandoned soccer pitch in Baquba about 50 km (31 miles) northeast of Baghdad, August 6, 2013. Iraqis have endured extreme violence for years, but since the since the start of 2013 the intensity of attacks on civilians has dramatically increased, reversing a trend that had seen the country grow more peaceful. Attacks have spread to some of the few places left for public entertainment such as cafes and public soccer pitches, turning Baghdad into a giant fortified prison of concrete blas

Iraqi Youth Strike Balance Between Conservatism, Modernity

Iraqi youths have eagerly embraced aspects of Western culture and style while remaining committed to the rituals and teachings of their religious traditions.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javed Zarif (L) speaks during a joint news conference with his Iraqi counterpart Hoshyar Zebari in Baghdad, September 8, 2013. The United States will ignite a fire across the Middle East if it attacks Syria, Zarif said on a visit to Iraq on Sunday, warning Western powers against warmongering. REUTERS/Ahmad Al-Rubaye/Pool (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX13CUF

Iran Looks to Iraq for Syria Support

Qassem Soleimani, the leader of Iran’s Qods Force, has been seeking assistance from Iraqi Shiite forces to provide support to the Syrian regime but without much apparent success.

Iraqi Kurdistan Minister Addresses Syria, Refugee Crisis

An exclusive interview with Minister Falah Mustafa Bakir, head of the Department of Foreign Relations of the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq.

Iraqi soldier stands guard at Umm Qasr's port near Basra, 420 km (260 miles) southeast of Baghdad July 10, 2009. Unions are lobbying against Iraq's new oil contract with BP and China's CNPC, but the weakened labour movement may have a hard time thwarting deals desperately needed to revive a struggling oil sector. Picture taken July 10, 2009. REUTERS/Atef Hassan (IRAQ CONFLICT POLITICS EMPLOYMENT BUSINESS ENERGY) - RTR25MGP

Iraq’s Faw Port Project Faces Continued Setbacks

Iraq’s Grand Faw Port, planned to be one of the largest maritime ports in the gulf region, has been stalled due to political disputes.

Newly married Iraqi couples arrive at a hotel for a mass wedding reception in central Baghdad, 07 December 2007. Around 70 couples celebrated their wedding today together at a hotel in central Baghdad. AFP PHOTO/ALI YUSSEF (Photo credit should read ALI YUSSEF/AFP/Getty Images)

Iraqi Women Victimized By Tribal Marriage Customs

In patriarchal and tribal Iraq, thousands of women are forced into unwanted marriages with little to no legal recourse.

Protesters demand that the pensions of parliamentarians be cancelled during a demonstration in Kerbala, 110 km (68 miles) south of Baghdad, August 31, 2013. Hundreds of protesters took to the streets in Baghdad and central and southern Iraq on Saturday against generous pension payments to lawmakers in a county where many are still struggling to get jobs and basic services. REUTERS/Mushtaq Muhammed (IRAQ - Tags - Tags: POLITICS BUSINESS EMPLOYMENT SOCIETY CIVIL UNREST) - RTX132KM

New Iraqi Protest Movement Targets Corrruption

Overall dissatisfaction with the Iraqi government promises to overcome sectarian, ethnic and political rifts and pave the way for the emergence of a potentially effective protest movement.

Iraqi President Jalal Talabani (R) speaks with Kurdish President Masoud Barazani (L) during his visit to Dokan, 290 km (180 miles) northeast of Baghdad July 29, 2009. Ruling parties in Iraqi Kurdistan will retain control of the Kurdish parliament after weekend polls, preliminary results showed on Wednesday. An opposition movement, campaigning against corruption and for political reforms, took a surprise 23.8 percent, electoral officials said in the Kurdish capital Arbil. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari (IRAQ POLITICS

KDP May Run Alone In Iraqi Kurdistan Elections

The two major parties in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq have shared power since 2005, but some believe that President Massoud Barzani and his party are planning to go it alone following upcoming parliamentary elections.

Iraqi Sunni Muslims chant "Allahu Akbar", meaning God is great, during an anti-government demonstration in the central city of Samarra, May 17, 2013. Tens of thousands of Sunni Muslims poured onto the streets of Ramadi and Falluja in the western province of Anbar following Friday prayers, in their biggest show of strength since the outbreak of protests last year. REUTERS/Bakr al-Azzawi (IRAQ - Tags - Tags: RELIGION POLITICS) - RTXZQH6

Iraqi Sheikh Faces Divisions Within Sunni Community

Sheikh Abdul-Malik al-Saadi seeks to balance support for protests with opposition to a Sunni federal region in Iraq.