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Iraq

June 30, 2026

Baghdad 8:51 am

38°C

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

A worker at a market for fuel oil and automotive fuel on March 17, 2026, in Erbil, Iraq.

Explainer

After UAE and Qatar, could Iraq be next to leave OPEC?

Iraq is seeking a higher production quota as the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz has slashed oil revenues and plunged the country into a fiscal crisis.

Krikor Der-Hagopian at the 9th Sulaimani Forum, in Sulaimaniyah, Iraq, on April 16, 2025.

Iraq taps Krikor Der-Hagopian as first Armenian Christian ambassador to US

Baghdad’s pick of a US-educated Armenian Christian adviser as envoy to Washington underscores a bid to reset US-Iraq ties and broaden the country’s diplomatic profile.

Latest News

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

Culture

World Cup opens amid visa disputes for Iran, Iraq and Somalia

Members of the Iranian national soccer team including midfielder Alireza Jahanbakhsh (R) arrive at Tijuana International Airport on June 7, 2026, in Tijuana, Mexico.

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 U.S. Air Force C-130 transport plane fly during the Clear Sky 2018 multinational military drills at Starokostiantyniv Air Base in Khmelnytskyi Region, Ukraine October 12, 2018. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich - RC1E8FF15980

Four injured in US military transport plane crash at Iraq’s Camp Taji

An Air Force C-130 Hercules struck a wall, damaging the aircraft and causing a fire onboard.

A man wears a protective face shield and a mask at a store during a curfew imposed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Baghdad, Iraq June 7, 2020. REUTERS/Khalid al-Mousily - RC274H9RVUGM

Iraq sees slight drop in new COVID-19 cases after days with more than 1,000

The spread of the virus continues at an alarming rate in Iraq, particularly in Baghdad and Sulaimaniyah.

Iraqi Sunnis seek answers for those displaced in time of fighting Islamic State

Sunni politicians are putting pressure on the Kadhimi government to determine the fate of Sunnis displaced during the fight against the Islamic State.

A view of Baghdad international Airport, after Iraq has suspended flights at its domestic airports as the coronavirus spreads, in Baghdad, Iraq March 17, 2020. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani - RC2PLF9MJ8L2

Rocket lands near Baghdad International Airport, no casualties

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack Monday.

Iraq still committed to energy ties with Saudi Arabia, Gulf states despite Iran electricity deal

Iraq has signed an agreement with Iran to continue importing gas and electricity for two years.

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The killing of George Floyd sparks controversy over African-Iraqi rights

Ongoing protests in the United States over the killing of George Floyd have raised awareness among Iraqis about African-Iraqi rights in the country.

Turkey to reopen border crossings with Iran, Iraq

By opening two border crossings with Iran and Iraq, Turkey is seeking to boost the economy, and many businesses resume operations in the country this week.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi meets with senior Iraqi officers during his visit in Kirkuk, Iraq June 2, 2020. Iraqi Prime Minister Media Office/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC251H9N531M

Iraqi forces team up for anti-IS operation in Kirkuk

A large joint operation to root out Islamic State sleeper cells began in Kirkuk in a show of strength and unity after a rash of attacks in the area in recent weeks.

Police tape cordon is seen at the site of a bomb attack at a Shi'ite Muslim mosque in the Baladiyat neighbourhood of Baghdad, Iraq June 21, 2019. REUTERS/Khalid Al-Mousily - RC1F71BFBE30

Anti-Saudi blocs in Iraqi parliament want to sue

Iraqi political forces said they intend to enact a law to sue Saudi Arabia and have Riyadh compensate for the damage caused by suicide attacks carried out by Saudis in Iraq, which would embarrass the Mustafa al-Kadhimi government that is making a new start in Iraqi-Saudi economic relations.

Closed shops are seen during a curfew imposed to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Baghdad, Iraq May 31, 2020. REUTERS/Khalid al-Mousily - RC2QZG9QKZIO

Iraq returns to lockdown after surge in coronavirus cases

Iraq registered more than 400 COVID-19 cases today, breaking the previously highest number from only a few days ago.

An Iranian cleric chants slogans as they gather to mourn during the forty days memorial, after the killing of Iran's Quds Force top commander Qassem Soleimani and the Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in a U.S. air strike at Baghdad airport, at the "Valley of Peace" cemetery in Najaf, Iraq February 11, 2020. REUTERS/Alaa al-Marjani - RC2BYE9HRC06

Pro-Iran militias in Iraq wage 'fake news' campaign against US

Several pro-Iran militias have lately claimed responsibility for attacking US forces in Iraq, but examining their media activities indicates they are probably fake groups created by existing militias to show strength without taking the risk of ramifications.

A healthcare worker takes blood samples from a woman during testing for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Sadr city, district of Baghdad, Iraq May 21, 2020. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani - RC21TG9DOH2Z

Iraq registers dramatic jump in COVID-19 cases

There were 416 new confirmed infections of the novel coronavirus in Iraq today.