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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

Iraq's Assyrian Catholic residents hold a memorial Mass marking the first anniversary of victims killed in a militant attack on the Our Lady of Salvation Church in 2010, at the Church in Baghdad October 31, 2011. Fifty-two hostages and police were killed during an attack on the church on October 31, 2010. REUTERS/Saad Shalash (IRAQ - Tags: RELIGION SOCIETY ANNIVERSARY POLITICS) - RTR2TGJ6

Assyrians Discuss Possible State in Iraq

Diasporan Assyrians, descendants of one of Iraq’s oppressed and scattered historic minorities, are examining establishing an autonomous or independent state in Ninevah province.

Residents inspect the site of a car bomb attack in Basra, 420 km (260 miles) southeast of Baghdad, July 29, 2013. One car bomb went off in a busy popular market north of the southern oil hub city of Basra on Monday, killing at least two civilians and wounding 10 others, police and medical sources said. REUTERS/Stringer (IRAQ - Tags: CIVIL UNREST) - RTX123II

After Bombing, Basra Governor Sees 'Political' Price to Pay

A truck bomb explosion on the Basra docks exposes the tenuous security situation, and Basra's governor says, "The city is paying the price for the political differences in the country."

People visit the "Valley of Peace" cemetery during the first day of the Eid al-Fitr in Najaf, 160 km (100 miles) south of Baghdad, August 9, 2013. Muslims around the world celebrate Eid al-fitr to mark the end of Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar. REUTERS/Ahmad Mousa (IRAQ - Tags: RELIGION) - RTX12ESW

Najaf Seminary Plays Role Of Iraqi Opposition

The multiple failings of the Iraqi government have given Najaf the opportunity to play the opposition’s role.

A vehicle burns at the scene of a car bomb attack in Baghdad's Kadhimiya district August 15, 2013. A series of car bombs in Baghdad killed at least 28 people and wounded more than 100 on Thursday, with one exploding near the "Green Zone" diplomatic complex, the latest attacks in some of the worst violence since U.S. troops left. REUTERS/Stringer (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS CONFLICT) - RTX12M6R

Despite New Security Measures, Violence Persists in Iraq

Although the Iraqi government has developed new plans to address the deteriorating security situation, violence continues to strike throughout the country.

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei leads the morning Eid prayers at the Imam Khomeini grand mosque in central Tehran November 4, 2005. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi - RTR1A4VI

Khamenei’s Controversial Fatwas

Iran’s supreme leader employs traditionalist fatwas to establish his political and religious authority.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari speaks at the Diplomatic and Political Joint Coordinating Committee meeting hosted by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry at the State Department in Washington August 15, 2013. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX12MHG

Iraqi Official: Rouhani 'Means Serious Business' With US

Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari says the Iranian leadership could have prevented Hassan Rouhani from becoming president if it wanted to continue hard-line policies toward the United States.

Kurdish Peshmerga troops are deployed on the outskirts of Kirkuk, some 250km (155 miles) north of Baghdad, November 24, 2012. Iraq's Kurdish region has sent reinforcements to a disputed area where its troops are involved in a standoff with the Iraqi army, a senior Kurdish military official said, despite calls on both sides for dialogue to calm the situation. Picture taken November 24, 2012. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari (IRAQ - Tags: CONFLICT POLITICS MILITARY) - RTR3AUX2

Iraqi Kurdish Forces Help Defend Baghdad

The increase of terrorist bombings in Baghdad has been a catalyst for more consultation between Iraqi federal and Iraqi Kurdish peshmerga forces.

An aerial view of the city of Arbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdistan region, about 350 km (217 miles) north of Baghdad, March 19, 2013. Picture taken March 19, 2013. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari (IRAQ - Tags: CITYSCAPE) - RTR3F8BQ

Iraqi Kurdistan’s Silent Revolution

The KRG is becoming more, not less, dependent upon Baghdad to finance its social welfare programs through oil rents.

An Iraqi policeman stands guard outside a Sunni mosque during Eid al-Fitr prayers in Baghdad, August 8, 2013. The Eid al-Fitr festival marks the end of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan. REUTERS/Thaier al-Sudani (IRAQ - Tags: RELIGION) - RTX12DJC

Al-Qaeda Looks to Build Support Among Iraq's Sunnis

In Iraq's highly polarized sectarian climate, al-Qaeda has presented itself as the "defender of the Sunnis" to increase its support and influence.

Iraqi women work in the brick factory in the town of Nahrawan east of Baghdad, March 8, 2012. REUTERS/Thaier al-Sudani (IRAQ - Tags: SOCIETY BUSINESS EMPLOYMENT) - RTR2Z1EF

Iraqi Women Face Workplace Discrimination

In light of conservative social traditions and an unfavorable legal system, Iraqi women struggle to find work.

A youth casts his vote into a ballot box during the Iraq's provincial elections at a polling station in Ramadi, 100 km (62 miles) west of Baghdad, June 20, 2013. REUTERS/Ali al-Mashhadani (IRAQ - Tags - Tags: ELECTIONS POLITICS) - RTX10ULM

Iraqi Youth Seek New Direction For Failed Politics

Disaffected Iraqi youth are increasingly doubtful of the country’s potential for democracy.

$Members of the new Iraqi Parliament attend a session at the Parliament headquarters in Baghdad, November 11, 2010. Iraq's fractious politicians have agreed to return Shi'ite Nuri al-Maliki as prime minister, ending an eight-month deadlock that raised fears of renewed sectarian war, but leaving some Sunnis sceptical he can forge national unity. The pact on top government posts brings together Shi'ites, Sunnis and Kurds in a power-sharing arrangement similar to the last Iraqi government and could help prevent$

Iraqi Activists Seek to End Pensions for Parliament

Post-retirement pensions for members of Iraq's Council of Representatives has provoked a heated debate among Iraqi civil activists.