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Iraq

July 3, 2026

Baghdad 9:45 am

40°C

AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP via Getty Images

Here's what to know about Iraq's corruption as Zaidi launches crackdown

Watchdogs and financial institutions regard Iraq as a significantly corrupt country as the new prime minister works to recover public funds.

aqi security personnel patrol in a vehicle along a street in Baghdad on June 28, 2026.

Analysis

Iraqi PM’s anti-corruption drive comes as US pressure mounts on Iran-backed militias

Iraq’s new prime minister has launched a sweeping anti-corruption campaign ahead of key talks in Washington, but analysts say the real test will be whether it reaches Iraq’s most powerful Iran-backed actors.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

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.

Latest News

Iraq taps Krikor Der-Hagopian as first Armenian Christian ambassador to US

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

Exclusive

Barrack heads to Iraq as US presses Baghdad on Iran-backed militias

Tom Barrack

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

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.

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

Why some Iraqis want the PMU to be dissolved

The Popular Mobilization Units rushed to aid Iran in the wake of punishing floods, leaving many Iraqis to believe that the PMU overlooks Iraqi suffering.

Iraq's pigeon breeders get ahead in international game

Iraq's pigeon breeders, once disdained, are making a name for themselves in international competitions, as well as profiting off the sales of birds in auctions.

Russia consolidating its position in Iraq amid anti-Iran sanctions

Russian and Iraqi officials convened in Baghdad for another bilateral commission session to discuss energy and security cooperation amid US anti-Iran sanctions.

Police officers stand guard during an anti-government protest in front of the Governorate building in Basra, Iraq December 14, 2018. REUTERS/Essam al-Sudani - RC1FC42B5D70

Iraq's Basra province seeks upgrade to federal region

Basra governorate hopes the third time will be a charm as it once again seeks to become an Iraqi federal region.

Iraqi bill on Yazidi female survivors stirs controversy

If passed, a draft bill in the Iraqi parliament would guarantee financial compensation for Yazidi women kidnapped by the Islamic State, but a clause on the religion of children born from rape has provoked controversy.

Iraq hopes for dilemma-less summer

Iraq’s new government faces potential problems and a cast of quirky characters.

Iraqi school students pass by destroyed buildings by the war, in the Old City of Mosul, Iraq February 27, 2019. REUTERS/Khalid al-Mousily - RC1D1A58CF70

Explosive hazards in Mosul a major threat for years to come

After the military campaign to retake Iraqi territory from the Islamic State, particularly in Mosul, unexploded ordnance remains a big concern for residents returning to their homes two years after liberation.

The al-Qaim gate is closed at the border between Iraq and Syria at al-Qaim in Iraq, November 27, 2018. Picture taken November 27, 2018. REUTERS/Alaa al-Marjani - RC1669CDDD20

Iraq revisiting security plan for Syrian border at Baghouz

Following the liberation of the Syrian border town of Baghouz, Baghdad is planning a new border control strategy to make sure no terrorists find their way into Iraq.

Iraq's Qaim border open to nonlocal PMU fighting in Syria

Iraqi Shiite Popular Mobilization Units fighting in Syria cross the western Iraqi border with ease.

Shi'ite worshippers place copies of the Koran on their heads during Ramadan at the Imam Ali Shrine, Najaf, Iraq July 10, 2015. REUTERS/Alaa Al-Marjani
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Conservatives in Iraq's Najaf want to legislate religiosity

Following the recent arrest of a young cafe owner for allegedly insulting the late Imam Musa al-Kadhim, some Najaf residents are demanding a special law to "protect the sanctity" of the holy city.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announces that the US will designate Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) during a press conference at the State Department in Washington, DC, April 8, 2019. - US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday warned all banks and business of consequences to dealing with Iran's Revolutionary Guards after Washington designated the elite unit a terrorist group. "Businesses and banks around the world now have a clear duty to ensur

US sticks Iraq in middle by calling Iran's IRGC terrorists

Iraqis are divided on the recent US action against Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, as some back Iran while others fear that a US-Iran conflict will engulf Iraq.

A bridge destroyed by flood is seen in Lorestan province, Iran, April 4, 2019. Picture taken April 4, 2019. Khashayar Javanmardi/Tasnim News Agency/via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RC1DE249C760

Debate emerges as Iraqi forces enter Iran to aid flood relief

The presence of Iraqi forces in Iran set off an online debate about the role of foreign fighters inside Iran.