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Iraq

July 3, 2026

Baghdad 10:50 am

42°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

Iraq's President Barham Salih walks with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani during a welcome ceremony at Salam Palace in Baghdad, Iraq March 11, 2019. REUTERS/Thaier al-Sudani - RC1C55FF7D70

Iraq struggles to distance itself from US-Iran tensions

As the conflict between the United States and Iran intensifies, Iraq insists on remaining impartial in the conflict.

Education and religion to fight IS mentality in Anbar

At a college close to the Syrian-Iraqi border, surrounded by the harsh Anbari desert, many women with male relatives still missing have resumed their studies after the area was liberated from the Islamic State.

Iraqis leading efforts to enrich Arabic Wikipedia

Young Iraqis, along with regional partners, lead the efforts to promote knowledge and enlightenment in the Arab World.

A U.S. soldier (2nd R) watches Iraqi soldiers firing at targets during a training course at a military base close to the Iranian border December 21, 2010. The U.S. army trained about 300 Iraqi soldiers on assault techniques and shooting at targets on Tuesday. Picture taken December 21, 2010. REUTERS/Mohammed Ameen (IRAQ - Tags: CONFLICT MILITARY) - GM1E6CM1RX001

Will Iraq reemerge as battleground between the US, Iran?

Iraq is primed to emerge as an area of mutual Iranian and American influence, although Tehran does not appear keen to initiate a direct confrontation.

Iraqi people gather near the site where a ferry sank in the Tigris River in Mosul, Iraq March 23, 2019. REUTERS/Khalid al-Mousily - RC14D3C6A920

Mosul faces political crisis after governor dismissed

An arrest warrant has been issued for the governor of Ninevah province, of which Mosul is the capital, following a ferry accident that killed nearly 100 people.

Iraq's Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi arrives for the opening of Baghdad International Fair in Baghdad, Iraq, November 10, 2018. REUTERS/Thaier al-Sudani - RC1A578A6EC0

Iran, Iraq forge ahead with collaboration amid US pressure

The Iraqi prime minister’s visit to Iran — his first since taking office — sends important messages to Tehran, Washington and Riyadh alike.

Iraqi men gather and socialise at Umm Kulthum Cafe on Rasheed street, the oldest street in the capital Baghdad on January 20, 2019. - Behind the dilapidated storefronts and collapsing colonnades of Rasheed Street lie the treasures of the Iraqi capital's cultural boom years but with young Iraqis listening to modern music and spending hours in hipster-style coffee shops, the boulevard that bustled non-stop in the 1970s is at risk of being passed over. (Photo by SABAH ARAR / AFP) (Photo credit should re

Can Baghdad's Rasheed Street save its name, glory?

Once a cultural and economic hub, Baghdad's Rasheed Street will need a lot of work and investment to return to its days of glory.

Will al-Qaeda capitalize on IS losses at Iraqi-Syrian border?

Al-Qaeda may be posed to make a comeback in eastern Syria and parts of Iraq, exploiting its historic roots in the area after the territorial defeat of the Islamic State.

Layla Salih, head of Antiquities for the province of Nineveh, of which Mosul is the capital, poses in front of an underground tunnel in east Mosul on March 6, 2017.
Two winged bulls dating from the Assyrians empire were found in a labyrinth of narrow underground tunnels dug by the Islamic State group in east Mosul. The impressive maze of tunnels dug by the jihadists to carry out archaeological excavations is located in the heart of the hill that houses the tomb of the Prophet Jonah (Nabi Younes). / AFP PHO

Mosul archaeologist aims to reclaim her city's lost heritage

Despite occupation, displacement and war, archaeologist Layla Salih never lost hope of rebuilding the Mesopotamian, Jewish, Christian and Islamic cultural heritage of her city, Mosul.

Boys walk at al-Hol displacement camp in Hasaka governorate, Syria March 8, 2019. REUTERS/Issam Abdallah - RC1FE9B01970

Iraqi boy risks all to rescue Yazidi woman from Islamic State

Teenage Diya Hamad told Al-Monitor the heroic tale of how he rescued his Yazidi friend from abuse by the Islamic State, following her into danger even as his own family reached safety.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani speaks during a meeting with tribal leaders in Kerbala, Iraq, March 12, 2019. REUTERS/Abdullah Dhiaa Al-Deen - RC1A84709510

Iran stumping for support among Iraqi tribal sheikhs

Top Iranian officials have been traveling to Iraq to woo tribal leaders and build influence there.

Zarif: Iran never pinned hopes on Europe

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the Islamic Republic has not and will not pin its hopes on Europe to save the JCPOA and will focus instead on working with countries in the region.