Iraq - AL-MONITOR: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

Iran cover image

Iraq

October 8, 2026

Baghdad 3:55 pm

35°C

A man walks past a closed foreign exchange office in Baghdad on October 7, 2026. Iraq's central bank devalued the dinar currency against the dollar on October 7, with the country facing a deepening crisis brought on by the Middle East war. (Photo by AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP via Getty Images)

Iraq devalues dinar 13% as Hormuz disruption hits oil revenue

The central bank said in a statement that it had revised the official exchange rate to 1,520 Iraqi dinars per dollar from around 1,320.

A member of the Iraqi security forces flashes the victory sign during a military parade

Explainer

What Iraq’s US troop withdrawal means for security after Kirkuk killings

As Iraq assumes full responsibility for its security following the coalition’s withdrawal, a disputed counterterrorism operation in Kirkuk is raising questions about accountability, public trust and lingering security gaps.

Members of Iraq's Hashed al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization) paramilitary forces stand guard during an election rally for the "Asaib Ahl al-Haq" movement in the capital Baghdad, on October 7, 2021.

Analysis

After US exit, Iran gains space in Iraq and a harder balancing act

For Iran, the easier part may have been getting Washington out, but it may now have to struggle turning the absence into durable influence and reviving its allied militias without provoking instability.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

US President Donald Trump meets Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa (L) on the sidelines of the NATO Summit at Bestepe Presidential Compound in Ankara, on July 8, 2026.

Trump’s integration policies build on Gulf, Turkey ties and Syria success

Iran’s influence, and the potential for renewed conflict, complicate progress in Iraq.

Latest News

Iraq announces Iran flights to resume: What to know

An Airbus A321 airliner arrives at the Mehrabad international airport during the delivery of the first batch of planes to the Iranian state airline Iran Air in the capital Tehran on Jan. 12, 2017.

Analysis

Can Turkey’s Bashiqa withdrawal pave the way for deeper Iraq ties?

Turkish soldiers conduct military exercises near the Habur crossing gate between Turkey and Iraq on Sept. 27, 2017 in the Silopi district, southeast Turkey.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Analysis

How militias in Anbar could complicate Iraq’s energy ambitions

Iraqi soldiers from the new 'desert battalion' special forces stand next to military vehicles as the take part in a graduation ceremony, after months of training by the French military, at the Ain al-Asad air base in Anbar west of Baghdad on February 29, 2024. (Photo by Ahmad AL-RUBAYE / AFP) (Photo by AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP via Getty Images)

Shelly Kittleson

By Shelly Kittleson

In Baghdad, reporting on Iraqi politics

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

Stymied in Syria, Turkey quietly ups actions against PKK in Iraq

Turkey has slowed its military operations in Syria and appears to be shifting attention to northern Iraq to intensify operations against the Kurdistan Workers Party.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif attends a meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, Russia January 10, 2018. REUTERS/Alexander Zemlianichenko/Pool? - UP1EE1A1NCZOZ

Iran FM: Trump administration 'never in' nuclear deal

In an interview with Al-Monitor, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif spoke about Tehran’s potential response as the United States weighs pulling out of the nuclear deal.

Iraqi comic strip collective tells stories of war, rebirth

Mesaha, an Iraqi comix group, had its first European debut at Switzerland's Fumetto festival, yet visa obligations stopped the artists from presenting their own works.

A worker cleans the street next to a campaign poster of candidates ahead of the parliamentary election, in Najaf, Iraq, April 14, 2018. REUTERS/Alaa Al-Marjani - RC155ACA6900

Religious disputes escalate over upcoming Iraqi elections

Religious leaders in Iraq are calling on voters to exercise caution in the upcoming elections and avoid casting votes for corrupt politicians.

Iraqi musicians fight to revive ancient art of maqam

A handful of enthusiasts are trying to save Iraq's age-old melodic system known as maqam, which was placed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2008.

Electronic vote counting sparks controversy ahead of Iraqi polls

Despite the advantages offered by electronic counting and sorting devices in the Iraqi elections, fears remain that the results will be falsified.

Kurdish Peshmerga forces detain Islamic State militants southwest of Kirkuk, Iraq October 5, 2017. REUTERS/Ako Rasheed - RC168144D210

Rural areas southwest of Kirkuk grapple with fears of IS sleeper cells

The Fatha road snakes behind the heavily damaged Beiji oil refinery, crossing between the low-altitude Hamreen and Makhoul mountain ranges into an area of okra fields and mullahs who fear Islamic State (IS) sleeper cells.

Tribal leaders gather for a meeting in Mosul on August 30, 2017 to discuss the security situation after Iraqi forces reseized the city from the Islamic State (IS) group in July.
Iraqi troops backed by a US-led international coalition routed IS in Mosul in July after a gruelling nine-month fight for Iraq's second city. / AFP PHOTO / AHMAD AL-RUBAYE (Photo credit should read AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images)

Will Iraq's new 'tribal court' undermine rule of law?

A group of tribal sheikhs will be appointed by the Ministry of Justice to intervene as arbitrators to resolve disputes and conflicts between Iraqi tribes, which some fear will undermine the rule of law in Iraq.

The dueling ayatollahs

Khamenei, Sistani, and the fight for the soul of Shiite Islam

Iraqi police who fought for tribal PMUs won't return to force

Local Iraqi police officers who joined the Popular Mobilization Units to fight the Islamic State seem to have no intention of returning to their old jobs.

Iraqis hold guns as they hunt at in the Chibayish marshes near the southern Iraqi city of Nassiriyah on September 13, 2016.
UNESCO has named Iraqi marshlands once ravaged by dictator Saddam Hussein as a World Heritage Site, a bright spot for a country where jihadists have repeatedly sought to wipe out history.

/ AFP / Haidar HAMDANI (Photo credit should read HAIDAR HAMDANI/AFP/Getty Images)

Iraqi boat-makers struggle to keep their trade afloat

The ancient craft of building boats, which is one of Iraq's oldest heritage industries, is disappearing, with only a few dozen workshops left in the country.

How will Sinjar crisis end as tensions mount between Baghdad, Ankara?

Ankara's insistence on combating the Kurdistan Workers Party may push Baghdad to take the lead on cleansing northern Iraq of the Kurdish militia, a scenario that presents a new internal crisis in Iraq's Kurdistan Region.