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Iraq

November 7, 2026

Baghdad 5:12 pm

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Zaidi

Iraq's Zaidi meets Sharaa on first Syria visit: What to know

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has sought to assuage concerns about his past militant activity in Iraq, whose oil trade and security cooperation with his two country is rising.

Safin HAMID / AFP via Getty Images

Iran says deal reached with Iraq to expel Kurdish separatists: What to know

Iran said an agreement was reached with Iraq to expel or hand over members of Kurdish separatist groups based in Iraqi Kurdistan.

Trucks loaded with goods wait to cross over to Syria

Analysis

How Hormuz crisis is reshaping economic ties between Iraq and Syria

Iraq and Syria are expanding trade and energy cooperation, but security risks, economic challenges and longstanding mistrust raise questions about whether their growing partnership can endure.

Shelly Kittleson

By Shelly Kittleson

In Middle East, reporting on regional politics

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi meets with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Oct. 14, 2026, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Iraq’s Zaidi, Saudi crown prince discuss security as Houthi attacks escalate

Iraq has moved to improve ties with Saudi Arabia after Iran-backed militias struck the kingdom and amid the conflict with the Houthis in Yemen.

Latest News

Explainer

PKK pulls out of Metina in northern Iraq amid Turkey peace process

Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) fighters arrive in the northern Iraqi city of Dohuk on May 14, 2013, after leaving Turkey as part of a peace drive with Ankara.

Analysis

Why Syria and Iraq are taking different approaches to armed groups

Demonstrators ride through a street while waving Syrian flags

Shelly Kittleson

By Shelly Kittleson

In Middle East, reporting on regional politics

Iraq devalues dinar 13% as Hormuz disruption hits oil revenue

A man walks past a closed foreign exchange office in Baghdad on October 7, 2026. Iraq's central bank devalued the dinar currency against the dollar on October 7, with the country facing a deepening crisis brought on by the Middle East war. (Photo by AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP via Getty Images)

Explainer

What Iraq’s US troop withdrawal means for security after Kirkuk killings

A member of the Iraqi security forces flashes the victory sign during a military parade

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

The U.S. families of Iranian dissidents, members of Iran's opposition movement Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK) who reside in Camp Liberty in Iraq, look on as U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry testifies on agreements over Iran's nuclear programs, before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, December 10, 2013. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY) - RTX16CNF

What's next for Baghdad-Tehran ties as last MEK members leave Iraq?

In a new regional victory for Iran, the last group of the exiled opposition group Mujahedeen-e-Khalq left neighboring Iraq.

Meet the likely successor of Islamic State’s Baghdadi

After IS spokesman and second-in-command Abu Mohamed al-Adnani was killed in an airstrike last month, there are indications that Bahraini citizen Turki al-Binali may replace him.

Men stand next to a Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) campaign poster for Iraq's parliamentary elections in Sulaimaniya April 28, 2014. Picture taken April 28, 2014. To match IRAQ-ELECTION/KURDS REUTERS/Jacob Russell (IRAQ - Tags: ELECTIONS POLITICS) - RTR3N0GT

Political accusations fly in Iraq's Kurdistan region

The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan is witnessing a sharp division that could affect the regional government's ability to address Kurdish issues.

Shi'ite fighters launch artillery toward Islamic State militants in al-Fatha, northeast of Baiji, October 18, 2015. Iraqi forces backed by Shi'ite militia fighters say they have retaken a mountain palace complex of former President Saddam Hussein from Islamic State fighters, as government forces push ahead on a major offensive against the insurgents. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTS4YZX

Rise of Iran-backed militias jeopardizes US aid to Iraq

US law prohibits military assistance unless Baghdad reins in PMU.

Turkish riot police use water cannon to disperse Kurdish demonstrators protesting against the removal of the local mayor from office over suspected links with Kurdish militants, in Diyarbakir, Turkey, September 11, 2016. REUTERS/Sertac Kayar TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTSN88G

Ankara hardening anti-PKK strategy

Turkey's strategy against the Gulen movement has worked so well, Ankara looks to be extending it to eradicate the Kurdistan Workers Party as well.

NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 07: Matt Lauer looks on as Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton speaks during the NBC News Commander-in-Chief Forum on September 7, 2016 in New York City. Clinton and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump are participating in the NBC News Commander-in-Chief Forum. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Clinton, Trump enter the homestretch

With less than nine weeks to go before Election Day, the candidates came up short at the Commander-in-Chief Forum.

Displaced Iraqi children fleeing violence in the Iraqi town of Hit, are seen at a refugee camp in Basra April 5, 2016. REUTERS/Essam Al-Sudani - RTSDOOS

Children disappear across Iraq, but critics say authorities lack plan

As child abduction continues to plague Iraq, the government has still not taken serious measures to deal with the problem, such as funding research and coordinating investigation.

Iraqi students attend their graduation ceremony at Technical University of Baghdad on June 30, 2012 to celebrate receiving their degrees for the first time since the US-led war on Iraq in 2003. The ceremonies were officially stopped by authorities due to the security issues after several attacks and explosions took place at the university since the ousting of former president, Saddam Hussein in 2003. AFP PHOTO/AHMAD AL-RUBAYE (Photo credit should read AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/GettyImages)

Why law graduates are overwhelming Iraq's job market

As public and private universities in Iraq are graduating significantly more lawyers than in the past, many lawyers cannot find jobs and the quality of the legal sector has declined.

Military vehicles of the Kurdish Peshmerga forces are seen on the southeast of Mosul , Iraq, August 14, 2016. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari - RTX2KS2U

What is Turkish army really doing in Iraq?

It is not clear who will take control if Mosul is liberated from the Islamic State, but Turkey and its allies want nothing more than to prevent the Kurds from declaring a semi-autonomous state in the region.

Member from Hashid Shaabi hold a banner of Abdulmalik al-Huthi during a demonstration to show support for Yemen's Shi'ite Houthis and in protest of an air campaign in Yemen by a Saudi-led coalition, in Baghdad March 31, 2015. Saudi troops clashed with Yemeni Houthi fighters on Tuesday in the heaviest exchange of cross-border fire since the start of a Saudi-led air offensive last week, while Yemen's foreign minister called for a rapid Arab intervention on the ground. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani - RTR4VNMI

Shiite alliance against Saudis grows tighter

As the sectarian conflict intensifies, Shiite forces expand their cooperation against Saudi Arabia while Iraq plays a key role in this regard.

Supporters of Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr protest against the execution of Shi'ite Muslim cleric Nimr al-Nimr in Saudi Arabia, during a demonstration in Baghdad January 4, 2016. The poster reads, "Innocent blood on your hands, Al-Saud". REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani - RTX20ZAD

Why did Iraq ask Riyadh to change its ambassador?

Baghdad has asked Riyadh to replace its ambassador over his interference in Iraq's internal affairs, stirring a new crisis between the two countries.

Iraq's then Vice President Nuri al-Maliki speaks during a news conference in Baghdad in this file photo taken November 29, 2014. The U.S. and Iran have formed an unlikely tacit alliance behind Iraq's prime minister as he challenges the ruling elite with plans for a non-political cabinet to fight corruption undermining the OPEC nation's economic and political stability. Local calls for Haider al-Abadi's removal -- including one by his predecessor as prime minister al-Maliki -- had been growing as he pursued

Six years after it was first proposed, will Iraq form top policy council?

Iraqi political leaders have reintroduced the idea of a Supreme Strategic Policy Council, and a law calling for its formation now has the support of most parliamentary blocs.