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Iraq

July 14, 2026

Baghdad 11:56 pm

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Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi meets with US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office at the White House, Washington, DC, July 14, 2026.

Trump hosts Iraqi PM Zaidi as Iran war intensifies

President Donald Trump emphasized Iraq’s “tremendous oil reserves” and possible deals with US companies.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi at a Council of Ministers meeting in Baghdad on July 11, 2026.

Analysis

On first foreign trip, Iraqi PM Zaidi woos Trump but Iran casts long shadow

Iraq's new prime minister is in Washington promising business deals and closer ties with the United States, but convincing the Trump administration he can rein in Iran-backed militias may prove his toughest challenge.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

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

Latest News

Here's what to know about Iraq's corruption as Zaidi launches crackdown

AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Iraqi PM’s anti-corruption drive comes as US pressure mounts on Iran-backed militias

aqi security personnel patrol in a vehicle along a street in Baghdad on June 28, 2026.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

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.

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

A vehicle burns at the scene of a car bomb attack in Baghdad's Kadhimiya district August 15, 2013. A series of car bombs in Baghdad killed at least 28 people and wounded more than 100 on Thursday, with one exploding near the "Green Zone" diplomatic complex, the latest attacks in some of the worst violence since U.S. troops left. REUTERS/Stringer (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS CONFLICT) - RTX12M6R

Despite New Security Measures, Violence Persists in Iraq

Although the Iraqi government has developed new plans to address the deteriorating security situation, violence continues to strike throughout the country.

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei leads the morning Eid prayers at the Imam Khomeini grand mosque in central Tehran November 4, 2005. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi - RTR1A4VI

Khamenei’s Controversial Fatwas

Iran’s supreme leader employs traditionalist fatwas to establish his political and religious authority.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari speaks at the Diplomatic and Political Joint Coordinating Committee meeting hosted by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry at the State Department in Washington August 15, 2013. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX12MHG

Iraqi Official: Rouhani 'Means Serious Business' With US

Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari says the Iranian leadership could have prevented Hassan Rouhani from becoming president if it wanted to continue hard-line policies toward the United States.

Kurdish Peshmerga troops are deployed on the outskirts of Kirkuk, some 250km (155 miles) north of Baghdad, November 24, 2012. Iraq's Kurdish region has sent reinforcements to a disputed area where its troops are involved in a standoff with the Iraqi army, a senior Kurdish military official said, despite calls on both sides for dialogue to calm the situation. Picture taken November 24, 2012. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari (IRAQ - Tags: CONFLICT POLITICS MILITARY) - RTR3AUX2

Iraqi Kurdish Forces Help Defend Baghdad

The increase of terrorist bombings in Baghdad has been a catalyst for more consultation between Iraqi federal and Iraqi Kurdish peshmerga forces.

An aerial view of the city of Arbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdistan region, about 350 km (217 miles) north of Baghdad, March 19, 2013. Picture taken March 19, 2013. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari (IRAQ - Tags: CITYSCAPE) - RTR3F8BQ

Iraqi Kurdistan’s Silent Revolution

The KRG is becoming more, not less, dependent upon Baghdad to finance its social welfare programs through oil rents.

An Iraqi policeman stands guard outside a Sunni mosque during Eid al-Fitr prayers in Baghdad, August 8, 2013. The Eid al-Fitr festival marks the end of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan. REUTERS/Thaier al-Sudani (IRAQ - Tags: RELIGION) - RTX12DJC

Al-Qaeda Looks to Build Support Among Iraq's Sunnis

In Iraq's highly polarized sectarian climate, al-Qaeda has presented itself as the "defender of the Sunnis" to increase its support and influence.

Iraqi women work in the brick factory in the town of Nahrawan east of Baghdad, March 8, 2012. REUTERS/Thaier al-Sudani (IRAQ - Tags: SOCIETY BUSINESS EMPLOYMENT) - RTR2Z1EF

Iraqi Women Face Workplace Discrimination

In light of conservative social traditions and an unfavorable legal system, Iraqi women struggle to find work.

A youth casts his vote into a ballot box during the Iraq's provincial elections at a polling station in Ramadi, 100 km (62 miles) west of Baghdad, June 20, 2013. REUTERS/Ali al-Mashhadani (IRAQ - Tags - Tags: ELECTIONS POLITICS) - RTX10ULM

Iraqi Youth Seek New Direction For Failed Politics

Disaffected Iraqi youth are increasingly doubtful of the country’s potential for democracy.

$Members of the new Iraqi Parliament attend a session at the Parliament headquarters in Baghdad, November 11, 2010. Iraq's fractious politicians have agreed to return Shi'ite Nuri al-Maliki as prime minister, ending an eight-month deadlock that raised fears of renewed sectarian war, but leaving some Sunnis sceptical he can forge national unity. The pact on top government posts brings together Shi'ites, Sunnis and Kurds in a power-sharing arrangement similar to the last Iraqi government and could help prevent$

Iraqi Activists Seek to End Pensions for Parliament

Post-retirement pensions for members of Iraq's Council of Representatives has provoked a heated debate among Iraqi civil activists.

A man reads a copy of the magazine "Israel-Kurd" at a street in Arbil, 310 km (190 miles) north of Baghdad August 16, 2009. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari (IRAQ SOCIETY) - RTR26SCA

Rebuilding Bridges to Iraq's Jewish Heritage

Iraq's Jewish community is remembered with both nostalgia and tragedy.

Shi'ite Muslims attend Friday prayers in Baghdad's Sadr City, June 28, 2013. REUTERS/Ahmed Saad (IRAQ - Tags: RELIGION) - RTX114LH

Friday Sermons Used to Incite At Iraqi Mosques

With the liberation afforded by the fall of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein’s regime, Friday sermons at Iraq’s mosques have become platforms for oftentimes escalatory political discourse.

EDITORS' NOTE: Reuters and other foreign media are subject to Iranian restrictions on their ability to film or take pictures in Tehran

Iranian clergymen debate at Talebiye seminary before noon prayer ceremony in Tabriz historic market, 633 km (393 miles) northwest of Tehran, early morning August 28, 2011. The Tabriz market was located along the Silk Road trade route and comprised of interlinked structures and spaces for various commercial, religious and educational uses. This market has been registered a

Iran on Quest to Legitimize Velayat-e Faqih in Iraqi Seminaries

Iran has always tried to secure religious legitimacy for its velayat-e faqih doctrine by supporting loyalists in the Qom and Najaf Shiite seminaries.