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Iraq

June 29, 2026

Baghdad 2:38 am

33°C

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

Iraqi security forces are seen during military operations to search for Islamic State militants in Anbar province, Iraq December 29, 2019. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani - RC275E9K0C8B

Islamic State steps up attacks in Iraq during coronavirus lockdown

The Islamic State launched numerous attacks in Iraq's disputed territories in April amid a lockdown to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

Back to the future on US-Iraq strategic dialogue

The announcement of US-Iraq talks in June is considered by many Iraqis and observers as overdue, and comes as there appears to be backing for continuing the partnership, under adjusted terms.

Gang rape of disabled woman horrifies Iraqis

A sexual assault on a mentally disabled Kurdish woman in a predominantly Turkmen town has shocked and outraged people across Iraq.

A Turkish Air Force F-16 fighter jet lands at Incirlik air base in Adana, Turkey, August 11, 2015. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - GF20000020030

Iraq summons Turkish ambassador over deadly PKK airstrikes

The Turkish military launched two airstrikes on Iraqi territory, prompting a rebuke from the Iraqi Foreign Ministry.

Iraqi PM designate readies cabinet to present to parliament

As Intelligence Chief Mustafa Al-Kadhimi prepares his cabinet, he appears to have broad support, and Iraqi Popular Mobilization Units aren't blocking his way.

Iraq condemns Turkish strikes against PKK in Kurdistan region

Ankara claims it killed four PKK members in a Qandil mountains airstrike in Iraq northeast of Erbil, but Kurds report only physical damage there; Baghdad says Turkey did kill three civilians in Makhmour, to the southwest of Erbil.

Intel: US holds virtual anti-IS meeting amid COVID-19 pandemic

The US-led coalition to defeat the Islamic State convened a virtual meeting today to discuss the fight against the remnants of the terrorist group.

Cloud of doubt surrounds coronavirus figures reported by Iraqi government

There is great skepticism in Iraqi society and in the media about the government’s statistics of how many people have been infected by and died from the coronavirus.

Iran welcomes Iraq’s new prime minister

In today’s Iranian media roundup, officials and news outlets have reacted to the appointment of Iraq’s new Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi with praise and expressions of confidence.

Intel: US signals support for Iraq’s latest prime minister-designate

Secretary of State Michael Pompeo signaled support for Iraq’s newest prime minister-designate, Mustafa al-Kadhimi, in a statement today.

Baghdad's monuments fall apart or destroyed despite laws

Laws cannot protect Baghdad's monumental buildings, particularly when owners prefer that they fall down so they can replace them with modern buildings.

Iraqi PM-designate meets with officials in push to form ‘government that serves the public’

Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Mustafa al-Kadhimi hopes to announce his proposed Cabinet soon.