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Iraq

July 15, 2026

Baghdad 3:23 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 man repairs shoes in his shop as locals pass through on a street in the town of Cizre in Sirnak province, near the border with Syria March 23, 2013. Turkey's fledgling peace process with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group is all over the headlines. After three decades of war, 40,000 deaths and a devastating impact on the local economy, everybody seems ready for peace. Pro-Kurdish politicians are focused on boosting minority rights and stronger local government for the Kurds, who make up abou

The Kurdish Minority Within the Syrian War

Professor Eyal Zisser, expert on Syria, explains to Shlomi Eldar the divisions and discord among the Kurds living where the Syrian, Iraqi and Turkish borders converge, and how this will impact the future of Syria.

A girl holds a Turkish national flag as she visits the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of modern Turkey, during a ceremony to mark National Sovereignty and Child's Day in Ankara April 23, 2013. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS) - RTXYWM1

Turkey’s ‘Peace Process’ Is Just Starting

The politics of the Turkish-Kurdish peace initiative are just beginning to play out for Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Murat Karayilan, acting military commander of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), speaks during an interview with Reuters at the Qandil mountains near the Iraq-Turkish border in Sulaimaniya, 330 km (205 miles) northeast of Baghdad March 24, 2013. Shattered stone houses recall Turkish air strikes on Kurdish rebels holed up in the Qandil mountains of northern Iraq. Life is harsh amid the snowcapped peaks, supplies are sparse and armed forays across into Turkey perilous in the extreme. Yet rebel chief Abdullah

PKK's Withdrawal From Turkey Shows Peace Process On Track

Murat Karayilan, a leader of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), is taking the peace file with Turkey from imprisoned Abdullah Ocalan, signaling normalization of the process, writes Kadri Gursel.

People cross a flooded area in Sheikh Saad district, south Baghdad, May 6, 2013. Heavy rains flood villages in southeastern Iraq forcing people to evacuate their homes as waves of water covered streets and houses. Picture taken May 6, 2013. REUTERS/Jaafer Abed (IRAQ - Tags: ENVIRONMENT) - RTXZDIR

Floods Cause Severe Damage In Southern Iraq

Southern Iraq has been hit with heavy rains for the past week, resulting in significant human and material losses.

Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) fighters talk to each other as they stand guard at the Qandil mountains near the Iraq-Turkish border in Sulaimaniya, 330 km (205 miles) northeast of Baghdad March 24, 2013. Shattered stone houses recall Turkish air strikes on Kurdish rebels holed up in the Qandil mountains of northern Iraq. Life is harsh amid the snowcapped peaks, supplies are sparse and armed forays across into Turkey perilous in the extreme. Yet rebel chief Abdullah Ocalan, who declared a ceasefire from his T

PKK Challenges Barzani In Iraqi Kurdistan

Denise Natali writes that the withdrawal of Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) forces from Turkey and developments in Syria will keep the Kurdish nationalist movement fragmented from within and across borders.

(L-R) Ammar al-Hakim, leader of the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council (ISCI), Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, Kurdish regional President Masoud Barzani and Iraq's Shi'ite Vice President Adel Abdul-Mahdi attend a meeting in Baghdad November 9, 2010. REUTERS/Iraqi Government/Handout (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS) FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS - RTX

Will the Iraqi Cabinet Meet In Kurdistan Region?

Iraqi and Kurdistan Regional Government sources have confirmed that a cabinet meeting will be held in Erbil, reports Ali Abel Sadah.

A platform at a makeshift camp is removed by heavy equipment at a public square in Hawija, near Kirkuk, 170 km (100 miles) north of Baghdad April 23, 2013. Iraqi forces stormed the Sunni Muslim protest camp on Tuesday, and more than 50 people were killed in the ensuing clashes which spread beyond the town of Hawija, to other areas.Picture taken April 23, 2013. REUTERS/Stringer (IRAQ - Tags: CIVIL UNREST MILITARY POLITICS) - RTXYZJD

Human Rights Watch Slams Iraqi Government for Hawija

The Iraqi government is being held accountable for the attack on demonstrators in Hawija on April 23 that resulted in 50 deaths, writes Mushreq Abbas.

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 Real Estate Market Makes a Comeback

Progress made in the political dispute between Baghdad and Erbil has reflected positively on the economic situation in the Kurdistan Region, writes Abdel Hamid Zebari.

Iraqi Sunni Muslims wave the old flags of Iraq during an anti-government demonstration in Falluja, 50 km (31 miles) west of Baghdad May 3, 2013. Tens of thousands of Sunni Muslims poured onto the streets of Ramadi and Falluja in the western province of Anbar following Friday prayers, in their biggest show of strength since the outbreak of protests last year. REUTERS/Mohanned Faisal (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS RELIGION CIVIL UNREST) - RTXZ987

Iraq's Sunni-Shiite DivideAbout Governance

Iraq needs a political solution that recognizes the grievances of Iraq's Sunni populations and regions, Harith Hasan writes.

Malta-flagged Iranian crude oil supertanker "Delvar" is seen anchored off Singapore March 1, 2012. Western trade sanctions against Iran are strangling its oil exports even before they go into effect, a U.S. advisory body has found, amid warnings that any shortages will only push up crude prices and strain a weak global economy. REUTERS/Tim Chong (SINGAPORE - Tags: ENERGY BUSINESS MARITIME TRANSPORT) - RTR2YO8E

US Complicates Turkey’s Energy Interests in Iraq, Iran

US sanctions on Iran and its disapproval of energy investments in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq have complicated Turkey’s energy policies, writes Olgu Okumus.

Iraqi Sunni Muslims participate in an anti-government demonstration in Falluja, 50 km (31 miles) west of Baghdad May 3, 2013. Tens of thousands of Sunni Muslims poured onto the streets of Ramadi and Falluja in the western province of Anbar following Friday prayers, in their biggest show of strength since the outbreak of protests last year. REUTERS/Mohanned Faisal (IRAQ - Tags: RELIGION POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTXZ985

Truce Proposal Splits Sunni Protesters in Iraq

A truce proposal between Sunnis protesting in Anbar and the Iraqi government has been accepted by some Sunnis but rejected by others, reports Ali Abel Sadah.

Relatives carry the coffin of an Iraqi soldier killed by militants during a funeral in Najaf, 160 km (100 miles) south of Baghdad, April 28, 2013. Militants shot dead five Iraqi soldiers in the Sunni Muslim stronghold province of Anbar on Saturday and protesters said they were forming an "army" after four days of unrest that raised fears of a return to widespread sectarian civil conflict. REUTERS/Haider Ala (IRAQ - Tags: CIVIL UNREST MILITARY) - RTXZ2XI

State Failure Behind Iraqi Sectarian Violence

Failures in post-invasion state-building are fueling ongoing sectarian strife in Iraq, writes Narav Salahaddin.