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Iraq

July 13, 2026

Baghdad 4:36 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

Visitors look at paintings during an art exhibition in Baghdad December 2, 2013. As part of its role as Capital of Arab culture of 2013, Baghdad hosted the three-day art exhibition featuring more than 500 sculptures and paintings of Iraqi and Arab artists. Artists from Syria, Lebanon and Morocco participated in the event which is considered the first of its kind since 1980s. Baghdad was named the 2013 Arab Capital of Culture by the Arab League, but the worst wave of bombings in Iraq in five years is taking

Baghdad Arab cultural festival brings message of peace

Despite criticism of the celebration of Baghdad Capital of Arab Culture, the events, which were attended by a majority of Arab countries, left a positive impact on Iraq and conveyed a message of peace to the Arab peoples.

Iraq's Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari (L) welcomes Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) at his arrival to Baghdad's airport February 23, 2014. REUTERS/Ahmed Saad (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX19COB

Iraq looks East in foreign policy

As disputes between Iraq and the West seem to be on the rise, Baghdad is refocusing its efforts on the “East,” in particular Russia, China and Iran.

An autistic child peers from between curtains at the Consulting Centre for Autism in Amman, March 30, 2010, one of the few places in the country that helps children with the condition. The world will mark World Autism Awareness Day on April 2. REUTERS/Ali Jarekji (JORDAN - Tags: HEALTH EDUCATION) - RTR2C97H

Iraqi government fails to address rise in autism

Despite signs of growing rates of autism in Iraq, there is little governmental interest in the topic, with no specialized centers for treating autistic children outside the Iraqi Kurdistan Region.

A Muslim (R) and a Christian Iraqi living in Jordan hold up their ink-stained index fingers after casting their ballot at a polling station at a government school in Amman March 5, 2010. Iraqis in Lebanon, Syria and Jordan started early voting ahead of the country's March 7 parliamentary election that will test Iraq's prospects for stability as U.S. troops prepare to leave. REUTERS/Ali Jarekji (JORDAN - Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS) - RTR2B98I

EU expresses support for Iraqi, Syrian civil society

An Iraqi-Syrian civil society delegation has met with decision-making bodies in the European Union, with the latter promising assistance in efforts to confront sectarianism in these two countries.

Iraq's Deputy Prime Minister Rafi Essawi (R) meets with Hassan al-Shammari, head of the Iraqi Islamic al Fadila parliamentary bloc, in Baghdad October 1, 2010. REUTERS/Mohammed Ameen (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS) - RTXSX67

Iraqi justice minister presses Shiite personal status law

Despite lack of support from Iraq’s Shiite religious establishment, the Jaafari personal status law has been endorsed by the cabinet and moved to parliament.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki (R) speaks next to his Iraqi Kurdish counterpart Nechirvan Barzani during a meeting of the Council of Ministers in Arbil, about 350 km (220 miles) north of Baghdad June 9, 2013. Maliki visited the Kurdistan region on Sunday for the first time in more than two years, in an attempt to resolve a long-running dispute over oil and land that has strained Iraq's unity to the limit. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX10H5T

Iraqi oil dispute reveals KRG vulnerability

There might be a short-term fix before the Iraqi elections in April, but a lasting solution on the Baghdad-Erbil hydrocarbon question is not imminent.

A staff member points at a screen showing a map of the Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline at Turkey's Mediterranean port of Ceyhan, which is run by state-owned Petroleum Pipeline Corporation (BOTAS), some 70 km (43.5 miles) from Adana February 19, 2014. Crude oil flow through the Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline linking Iraq to Turkey restarted on Wednesday at a rate of at a rate of about 300,000-350,000 barrels per day (bpd), a Turkish energy official said. The pipeline, which carries Kirkuk crude to Turkey's Mediterranean port

Iraq’s budget problems go beyond Erbil-Baghdad crisis

As the conflict continues between Baghdad and Erbil regarding Iraqi Kurdistan's share in the state budget, there is a pressing need for the government to address other budget-related issues, namely its near total dependence on oil.

Women demonstrate against the lack of basic services in central Baghdad on Valentine's Day February 14, 2011. About 100 residents carried placards and chanted slogans demanding better basic services and a stop to corruption in the country. The placards read "Do not erect a tower, just fix the sewage" and "We need electricity power, not ministers' promises". REUTERS/Thaier al-Sudani (IRAQ - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS) - RTR2IKXM

Valentine’s Day a day of hope in Iraq

Iraqis began celebrating Valentine’s Day after the fall of the regime of former President Saddam Hussein in 2003, but it is not just for couples — it serves as a means to express one’s love for the country.

Mourners react during a funeral of an Iraqi soldier, who was killed during clashes in Ramadi, in Najaf, 160 km (99 miles) south of Baghdad, January 10, 2014. Militants of the al Qaeda-linked Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), which is also fighting in neighbouring Syria, took control of Falluja and parts of nearby Ramadi on January 1 with the help of sympathetic armed tribesmen. The prospect of an imminent Iraqi army assault on Falluja receded on Friday as negotiators tried to work out a deal unde

Armed groups on rise in Anbar

The Anbar crisis is escalating to the point where people have lost their faith and trust in the army and government as sectarian fighting intensifies.

A man mourns near the body of his brother, wrapped in a blanket, who was among those killed during Sunday night's suicide bomb attack at a popular coffee shop in the town of Tuz Khurmatu, 170 km (106 miles) north of Baghdad, July 17, 2006. The attack killed 21 people, mostly elderly men. REUTERS/Slahaldeen Rasheed (IRAQ) - RTR1FKIO

Turkmen caught between Turkey and Iraqi Kurdistan

Iraqi Turkmen are getting pressure from the Turkish government to work more closely with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) of Iraq.

A woman walks past the site of a bomb attack in Balad Ruz, in northeastern Iraq, January 3, 2014. A suicide bomber driving a car packed with explosives killed at least 12 people who had gathered to buy and sell cars in Iraq on Thursday, local officials said. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, which took place near the car markets in the town of Balad Ruz, in northeastern Iraq, injuring another 25 people. REUTERS/Mohammed Adnan (IRAQ - Tags: CIVIL UNREST) - RTX170P9

Iraq’s battle against extremists spreads outside of Anbar

Although the Iraqi government launched a military operation in Anbar in December 2013 aimed at eradicating terrorism, it seems the protracted clashes have resulted in terrorist groups expanding their scope to other provinces.

Masked Sunni Muslims gunmen take up position with their weapons during clashes with Iraqi security forces outside the city of Falluja, 70 km (44 miles) west of Baghdad, February 23, 2014. Members of the extremist Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant are holed up inside Fallujah along with Sunni fighters angry at Prime Minister Nouri Maliki over what they say are policies which discriminate against Iraq's Sunni minority. The Iraqi government declared a ceasefire over the weekend but clashes flared periodica

Iraq's failing state institutions

The Iraqi government appoints state officials on the basis of politics rather than competence, something that has led to many state projects failing without anyone being held accountable.