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Iraq

August 21, 2026

Baghdad 3:17 pm

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Masrour Barzani, Prime Minister of the Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government, gives a press conference in the autonomous region's capital Arbil on June 25, 2025.

Interview

Barzani calls for enhanced air defense for Kurdistan Region to counter drone attacks

Iraqi Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani backs US-led regional economic integration efforts and lauds US partnership in an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor.

Masrour Barzani

Masrour Barzani

KRG Prime Minister

AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP via Getty Images

Exclusive

Saudi Arabia wants Iran-backed militia 'heads to roll' in Iraq amid talks with Tehran

Riyadh is pressing Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi to act against the groups behind attacks on the kingdom as Baghdad struggles to balance ties with Tehran and Washington.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP via Getty Images

Explainer

Iraq seeks special Hormuz access from Iran in scramble to keep oil flowing

As Iran's parliament speaker holds talks in Baghdad, Iraq has asked Tehran for special consideration for its oil exports.

Latest News

Iran’s Ghalibaf makes high-level visit to Iraq ahead of disarmament deadline

Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf speaks during a press conference at the site where Qasem Soleimani, commander of the Quds Force of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, was killed by a US airstrike in 2020 near the airport upon his arrival in Baghdad, on Aug. 19, 2026.

Explainer

Why Iran targeted Barzani family stronghold in Iraqi Kurdistan

Smoke rises after explosions were heard and air defences activated near the airport in Erbil, on July 24, 2026.

Iraq intel and security officials visit Saudi Arabia after drone attacks

A man inspects the damage at the site of a strike in Bartalla, in the northern Iraq's Nineveh province, after US-Saudi attacks on militias, July 29, 2026.

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 Turkish F-16 fighter jet takes off from Incirlik airbase in the southern city of Adana, Turkey, July 27, 2015. To match Insight TURKEY-SECURITY/AIRFORCE REUTERS/Murad Sezer/File Photo - S1AEULZGSTAA

Turkish airstrikes target PKK rebels in Iraqi Kurdistan

Turkey claims its military operations against PKK rebels are more effective than ever thanks to drones.

Iraqi tribes seek to heal enduring wounds of IS legacy

Sunni tribes in Iraq that were under the control of the Islamic State for about three years are working toward social reconciliation to end lingering conflict and incidents of revenge.

Turkish and Iraqi troops are pictured during a joint military exercise near the Turkish-Iraqi border in Silopi, Turkey September 26, 2017. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RC1FB6450AB0

How viable is Turkey’s bid for military partnership with Iraq?

Turkey and Iraq have agreed to work on sealing a military cooperation agreement, and although regional developments dictate the solution of bilateral crises, the volatile relationship between the two neighbors calls for tempered optimism.

Rocket strikes Baghdad’s Green Zone

A rocket has hit Baghdad's Green Zone near the US Embassy, ramping up US-Iranian tensions even further.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (R) and his Iraqi counterpart Mohammed al-Hakim enter a hall during a meeting in Moscow, Russia January 30, 2019. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov - RC147B91D090

Has Russia begun to play a role in Iraq?

Russia seeks a presence in Iraq similar to its presence in Syria but through Russian companies and economic, industrial and commercial agreements signed between the two countries.

Masked Shi'ite fighters hold their weapons in Al Hadidiya, south of Tikrit, en route to the Islamic State-controlled al-Alam town, where they are preparing to launch an offensive on Saturday, March 6, 2015. Iraqi government forces and Iran-backed militiamen entered a town on the southern outskirts of Saddam Hussein's home city Tikrit on Friday, pressing on with the biggest offensive yet against Islamic State militants that seized the north last year. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNR

Iraqi factions a wild card in US-Iran blame game

Armed militias in Iraq will have to determine whether their loyalties lie with their neutral government or against the United States in a standoff with Iran.

A partial view of the Iraqi capital Baghdad is reflected in the visor of a U.S. Army helicopter crew member as he looks out of a Chinook helicopter flying from the U.S. Embassy to Baghdad International airport, following the helicopter of U.S. secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in Iraq, January 9, 2019. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/Pool via REUTERS - RC1A9F707880

Could Iraq play a role in easing US-Iran tensions?

Iraqi political leaders, alarmed by the escalating proxy war between Iran and the United States taking place in their country, are trying to serve as mediators between the two.

The al-Qaim gate is closed at the border between Iraq and Syria at al-Qaim in Iraq, November 27, 2018. Picture taken November 27, 2018. REUTERS/Alaa al-Marjani - RC1669CDDD20

Will the Trump administration abort Iran’s land bridge to the Mediterranean?

As tensions between the United States and Iran are at their height in the Gulf region, there are talks about Iran pushing for the opening of al-Bukamal crossing between Syria and Iraq.

Iraq to handle foreign IS fighters' trials

Iraq so far is holding roughly a dozen French nationals who fought for the Islamic State. France's response: Keep them.

Yazidi's women attend a ceremony at Lilash Temple to commemorate the death of women who were killed by Islamic State militants, during the International Women Day, in Shikhan north of Iraq March 8, 2019. REUTERS/Ari Jalal - RC119D479580

Yazidis have 'protectors' in Iraq, but question safety

Iraq's Yazidi ethno-religious minority is safe from the Islamic State, but now faces infighting among protective forces seeking dominance in Sinjar.

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally in Panama City, Florida, U.S., May 8, 2019. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque - RC1E60C5DE30

Trump flashes art of the deal to Iran

Iraqi leaders meet all night following Pompeo visit.

Iranian National Oil Company opens office in Iraq

Tehran expands its economic and political influence in Iraq via its National Iranian Oil Company.