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Iraq

July 7, 2026

Baghdad 5:34 pm

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An aerial view shows port of the western Syrian port city of Latakia, on Dec. 18, 2024.

Analysis

Can a UAE-backed Syria-Iraq corridor become Gulf's next trade route?

On June 26, Emirati and Syrian officials discussed plans for a logistics corridor connecting Syrian ports to Gulf markets via Iraq.

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

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

Latest News

Explainer

After UAE and Qatar, could Iraq be next to leave OPEC?

A worker at a market for fuel oil and automotive fuel on March 17, 2026, in Erbil, Iraq.

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

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

What's behind meeting between Italian ambassador, prominent leader of Iraq's PMU?

The Italian ambassador to Baghdad official meets with the secretary-general of the League of the Righteous movement, Qais al-Khazali, which reads as clear support for Shiite militias in Iraq.

Iraqi workers stand near a pipeline as it ejects oil at Al Tuba oil field in Basra, southeast of Baghdad February 19, 2015. Iraq plans to increase its southern oil storage capacity to 15 million barrels by the end of 2015, to help cope with export bottlenecks caused by bad weather and to absorb rising production, a senior official said on Thursday. REUTERS/Essam Al-Sudani (IRAQ - Tag - Tags: BUSINESS ENERGY) - RTR4QAYT

Iraq sinks further into debt

Despite nominal moves to diversify its sources of revenue, the Iraqi government's dependence on falling oil prices and the cost of its war against the Islamic State mean the Iraqi economy is drowning in debt.

People hold up Baath Party flags during a rally to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the foundation of the party at al-Sabaa Bahrat square in Damascus April 7, 2012. The Baath Party has ruled Syria since 1963. REUTERS/Khaled al-Hariri (SYRIA - Tags: ANNIVERSARY POLITICS ) - RTR30GAR

What does de-Baathification mean for Iraq's Kurds?

Given the Baath regime crimes against the Kurds, the Kurdish street is angered at the several scandals, including that the KRG did not react to the law to ban the Baath Party.

An Iraqi solider stands guard near a F-16 fighter jet during an official ceremony to receive four of these aircrafts from the U.S., at a military base in Balad, Iraq, July 20, 2015. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani - RTX1L2B2

Kurds concerned about Baghdad's increasing military prowess

Kurdish officials have been raising their concerns about a possible Shiite threat after IS is completely annihilated in their areas, as Baghdad, which backs those Shiite forces participating in the battle against IS, has been receiving advanced weapons from the United States.

Iraqi Shi'ite fighters salute to the shrine of Sayeda Zeinab, the granddaughter of Prophet Mohammad, at Sayeda Zainab area in Damascus May 25, 2013. Picture taken May 25, 2013. REUTERS/ Alaa Al-Marjani (SYRIA - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS MILITARY CONFLICT) ) - RTX104SW

Will Iraq's Shiite militias flow to Syria after post-IS?

Expelling IS from Iraq will lead Iraqi Shiite militants to volunteer to fight in Syria, as the Syrian conflict continues to attract Sunni and Shiite fighters from around the world.

Iraqi Sunni Muslim fighters from Hashid Shaabi (Popular Mobilization) take part in a parade during a ceremony marking the Iraqi Police Day at Amiriyat al-Fallujah in Anbar province, January 9, 2016. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani - RTX21NI3

What are Iraq's Popular Mobilization Units doing in Beirut?

A leader of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) talks to Al-Monitor about talks held in Beirut Aug. 8-11, behind the scenes and away from the media spotlights, between a Western diplomatic delegation and 12 people representing the leadership of the PMU.

Sunni Muslims attend prayers at a mosque, during Eid al-Fitr as they mark the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, in Baghdad, Iraq July 6, 2016. REUTERS/Ahmed Saad - RTX2JW80

Sunnis eye their piece of Iraq pie

Representatives of various Sunni groups are trying to lay the groundwork for an independent Sunni region, but efforts may be complicated by the presence of powerful Shiite forces on the ground.

Charity sets up free shops on Baghdad walls

A group of Iraqi activists has created a project to help the poor in Iraq, and the idea, though unconventional for the region, is catching on.

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad (R) meets Admiral Ali Shamkhani, Iran?s Supreme National Security Council Director, in Damascus September 30, 2014,in this picture released by Syria's national news agency SANA. REUTERS/SANA/Handout via Reuters (SYRIA - Tags: POLITICS) ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. REUTERS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, CONTENT, LOCATION OR DATE OF THIS IMAGE. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS.

Iran official: Moscow and Tehran are in 'strategic cooperation'

The secretary of the Iranian Supreme National Security Council said that Russia’s use of Iran’s air base is a sign of further cooperation rather than an exceptional situation.

Iraqi military personnel distribute water to Shiite Iraqi Kurds, known as "Shabak", displaced by fierce fighting between Kurdish peshmerga forces and jihadist militants from the Islamic State (IS) after arriving on the road between Kirkuk and Arbil having fled the area of Bartala near the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, on August 8, 2014. Jihadists seized Iraq's largest dam north of their hub of Mosul, giving them control over the supply of water and electricity for a vast area, officials said. AFP PHOTO / MA

Division among Iraq's Shabak minority reveals Kurdish-Arab land rivalry

Minorities in Iraq's Ninevah plains are stuck between the federal government in Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government based in Erbil, which are competing for their lands.

A member of a counter-radiation team uses a Geiger counter to search for missing radioactive material in Basra, Iraq, February 21, 2016. Radioactive material that went missing in Iraq has been found dumped near a petrol station in the southern town of Zubair, officials said on Sunday, ending speculation it could be acquired by Islamic State and used as a weapon. The officials told Reuters the material, stored in a protective case the size of a laptop computer, was undamaged and there were no concerns about

Iraq's environment faces crucial challenge

Environmental deterioration in Iraq has reached a critical point due to a lack of awareness among citizens, the destructive impact of consecutive wars and the absence of effective rehabilitation plans.

Displaced people from the minority Yazidi sect, fleeing violence from forces loyal to the Islamic State in Sinjar town, walk towards the Syrian border, on the outskirts of Sinjar mountain, near the Syrian border town of Elierbeh of Al-Hasakah Governorate August 10, 2014. REUTERS/Rodi Said/File Photo - RTX2GIYQ

Will Iraq's minorities return to their homelands post-IS?

As Iraqi forces are advancing against the Islamic State, Iraqi minorities express their worries about the future of their lands post-IS.