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Iraq

August 21, 2026

Baghdad 5:20 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 U.S. soldier (2nd R) watches Iraqi soldiers firing at targets during a training course at a military base close to the Iranian border December 21, 2010. The U.S. army trained about 300 Iraqi soldiers on assault techniques and shooting at targets on Tuesday. Picture taken December 21, 2010. REUTERS/Mohammed Ameen (IRAQ - Tags: CONFLICT MILITARY) - GM1E6CM1RX001

Will Iraq reemerge as battleground between the US, Iran?

Iraq is primed to emerge as an area of mutual Iranian and American influence, although Tehran does not appear keen to initiate a direct confrontation.

Iraqi people gather near the site where a ferry sank in the Tigris River in Mosul, Iraq March 23, 2019. REUTERS/Khalid al-Mousily - RC14D3C6A920

Mosul faces political crisis after governor dismissed

An arrest warrant has been issued for the governor of Ninevah province, of which Mosul is the capital, following a ferry accident that killed nearly 100 people.

Iraq's Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi arrives for the opening of Baghdad International Fair in Baghdad, Iraq, November 10, 2018. REUTERS/Thaier al-Sudani - RC1A578A6EC0

Iran, Iraq forge ahead with collaboration amid US pressure

The Iraqi prime minister’s visit to Iran — his first since taking office — sends important messages to Tehran, Washington and Riyadh alike.

Iraqi men gather and socialise at Umm Kulthum Cafe on Rasheed street, the oldest street in the capital Baghdad on January 20, 2019. - Behind the dilapidated storefronts and collapsing colonnades of Rasheed Street lie the treasures of the Iraqi capital's cultural boom years but with young Iraqis listening to modern music and spending hours in hipster-style coffee shops, the boulevard that bustled non-stop in the 1970s is at risk of being passed over. (Photo by SABAH ARAR / AFP) (Photo credit should re

Can Baghdad's Rasheed Street save its name, glory?

Once a cultural and economic hub, Baghdad's Rasheed Street will need a lot of work and investment to return to its days of glory.

Will al-Qaeda capitalize on IS losses at Iraqi-Syrian border?

Al-Qaeda may be posed to make a comeback in eastern Syria and parts of Iraq, exploiting its historic roots in the area after the territorial defeat of the Islamic State.

Layla Salih, head of Antiquities for the province of Nineveh, of which Mosul is the capital, poses in front of an underground tunnel in east Mosul on March 6, 2017.
Two winged bulls dating from the Assyrians empire were found in a labyrinth of narrow underground tunnels dug by the Islamic State group in east Mosul. The impressive maze of tunnels dug by the jihadists to carry out archaeological excavations is located in the heart of the hill that houses the tomb of the Prophet Jonah (Nabi Younes). / AFP PHO

Mosul archaeologist aims to reclaim her city's lost heritage

Despite occupation, displacement and war, archaeologist Layla Salih never lost hope of rebuilding the Mesopotamian, Jewish, Christian and Islamic cultural heritage of her city, Mosul.

Boys walk at al-Hol displacement camp in Hasaka governorate, Syria March 8, 2019. REUTERS/Issam Abdallah - RC1FE9B01970

Iraqi boy risks all to rescue Yazidi woman from Islamic State

Teenage Diya Hamad told Al-Monitor the heroic tale of how he rescued his Yazidi friend from abuse by the Islamic State, following her into danger even as his own family reached safety.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani speaks during a meeting with tribal leaders in Kerbala, Iraq, March 12, 2019. REUTERS/Abdullah Dhiaa Al-Deen - RC1A84709510

Iran stumping for support among Iraqi tribal sheikhs

Top Iranian officials have been traveling to Iraq to woo tribal leaders and build influence there.

Zarif: Iran never pinned hopes on Europe

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the Islamic Republic has not and will not pin its hopes on Europe to save the JCPOA and will focus instead on working with countries in the region.

Iraq fears bevy of levees will mean parched years ahead

Although the water level is high this year in the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, Turkey's imminent filling of the Ilisu Dam reservoir is raising concerns about Iraq's water flow next year and for years to come.

Retired four-star Army General John Abizaid testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee during his confirmation hearing to be U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., March 6, 2019. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque - RC1BE3EFCA20

Intel: How the US is filling diplomatic gap with picks for Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Libya

Kurdish Peshmarga forces are seen near Altun Kupri, between Kirkuk and Erbil, Iraq October 20, 2017. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RC18B4882C00

Iraqi Kurdish fighters dealt setback in Pentagon budget

The Pentagon is set to slash salaries for the Iraqi peshmerga in its new budget.