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Iraq

July 7, 2026

Baghdad 10:32 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

Iraqi Shiite Muslim men from Hashid Shaabi (Popular Mobilization) hold portraits of (front to back) Iran's late leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, Iraq's late Shi'ite cleric Mohammed Baqir al-Sadr, and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a parade marking the annual al-Quds Day, or Jerusalem Day, on the last Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in Baghdad, July 10, 2015. REUTERS/Thaier al-Sudani - RTX1JVWV

Iraqis wary of political role for Popular Mobilization Units

Signs indicate that the PMU hopes to assume a political role in Iraq, which has raised concerns among some Iraqis.

A print screen of the hacked Facebook page of French television network TV5Monde is seen on a camera viewer in Paris April 9, 2015. French broadcaster TV5Monde was working on Thursday to regain control over its 11 channels and websites after an "extremely powerful" cyber attack claimed by the supporters of the Islamic State, its director said. REUTERS/Christian Hartmann - RTR4WLYH

Is the Islamic State planning a cyber-caliphate?

Under pressure on the battlefield, IS has been moving its caliphate to the virtual world and is targeting Turkey in particular.

Iraqi security forces escort civilians who fled their homes due to the clashes between Iraqi security forces and Islamic state militants in the town of Hit in Anbar province, April 4, 2016. REUTERS/Stringer TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTSDKA0

Will conflict continue as Iraq's Sunni areas are liberated from IS?

A new type of conflict may arise in Iraqi areas recently liberated from the Islamic State as different Sunni forces compete to regain political and economic control.

Anti-government protesters gather as they try to approach the heavily fortified Green Zone at Tahrir Square in Baghdad, Iraq May 27, 2016. REUTERS/Khalid al Mousily TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTX2EIN7

On eve of mass protests, what's next for Iraq's political crisis?

Iraq's Supreme Court canceled the decision to dismiss the parliament speaker and the Abadi reform Cabinet, intensifying the political crisis as the popular movement prepares for mass demonstrations July 15.

A girl walks past the site after a suicide car bomb attack at the shopping area of Karrada, a largely Shi'ite district, in Baghdad, Iraq July 4, 2016. REUTERS/Ahmed Saad - RTX2JMRE

Baghdad bombing ignites demand for better security in Iraq

Repercussions of the massive July 3 suicide bombing in Baghdad could include extensive political change and government reshuffling, especially if such attacks continue.

Iraqi Shi'ite Muslims from Hashid Shaabi (Popular Mobilization) march along a street as they hold a giant Iraqi flag during a parade marking the annual al-Quds Day, or Jerusalem Day, during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in Baghdad, Iraq July 1, 2016. REUTERS/Khalid al Mousily - RTX2J7X3

Why some Iraqi Shiites are pushing for distance from Iran

Iraqi Shiites are dividing over their stance toward Iran, as the disagreement with Iran rose up among Shiites affiliated to Najaf.

Iraqi Shi'ite Muslims from Hashid Shaabi (Popular Mobilization) march during a parade marking the annual al-Quds Day, or Jerusalem Day, during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in Baghdad, Iraq July 1, 2016. REUTERS/Khalid al Mousily - RTX2J7WT

Why Iraq needs the Popular Mobilization Units in fight against IS

Given the critical role of the PMU to date, its participation in upcoming battles against IS seems inevitable.

Iraqis look to get ahead on keffiyeh fashion

The headdress worn by Iraqi men has become the embodiment of Arab prestige and a status symbol worn not only by ordinary citizens, but also by politicians and dignitaries who use it to profess their political and social standing.

Iraqi pre-Islamic landmark threatening to collapse

The pre-Islamic Taq Kasr monument is suffering from neglect and is in dire need of maintenance.

Iraqi Shi'ite Turkmen fighters take part in an intensive security deployment in the town of Taza, south of the northern oil city of Kirkuk, June 19, 2014. The United States is contemplating talks with its arch-enemy Iran to support the Iraqi government in its battle with Sunni Islamist insurgents who routed Baghdad's army and seized the north of the country in the past week. REUTERS/Stringer (IRAQ - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS) - RTR3UOZA

Is Iraq's Kirkuk on verge of becoming independent region?

A proposal to make Kirkuk an independent region has Turkmens and Kurds assessing the future of the province.

Lieutenant General Abdelwahab al-Saadi speaks during an interview with Reuters in Falluja, Iraq, June 20, 2016. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani - RTX2H7ML

Head of Fallujah liberation offers views on upcoming Mosul battle

Lt. Gen. Abdul-Wahab al-Saadi, who oversaw the Fallujah operation, speaks to Al-Monitor about lessons learned from that fight and offers his view on the impending battle to retake Mosul from IS.

An Iraqi Christian man fleeing the violence in the Iraqi city of Mosul, sits inside the Sacred Heart of Jesus Chaldean Church in Telkaif near Mosul, in the province of Nineveh, July 20, 2014. The head of Iraq's largest church said on Sunday that Islamic State militants who drove Christians out of Mosul were worse than Mongol leader Genghis Khan and his grandson Hulagu who ransacked medieval Baghdad. Chaldean Catholic Patriarch Louis Raphael Sako led a wave of condemnation for the Sunni Islamists who demande

Christians in Iraqi Kurdistan complain about land seizure

Christians in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq complain of attempts to seize their land, which will push them to emigrate, as happened in Baghdad and other Iraqi provinces.