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Iraq

October 9, 2026

Baghdad 8:41 am

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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

Iraqi Kurdistan's young sportsmen put on gloves

Fighters from all over Iraq and Lebanon compete in the first mixed martial arts tournament in Erbil.

TOPSHOT - A Syriac Christian militiaman stands guard on top of a building during an easter ceremony at the Saint John's church (Mar Yohanna) in the nearly deserted predominantly Christian Iraqi town of Qaraqosh (also known as Hamdaniya), some 30 kilometres from Mosul, on April 16, 2017.
Qaraqosh was retaken by Iraqi forces late in 2016 as part of a massive offensive to wrest back the nearby city of Mosul from Islamic State (IS) group fighters but it remains almost completely deserted.
/ AFP PHOTO / CHRIST

Congress fuels Christian rivalries with bid to arm Iraqi militias

A House effort to arm Iraqi Christian militias risks making an already tense standoff in the Ninevah Plains even worse.

Iraqi farmers fight against imported goods, corruption

The Iraqi market is flooded with foreign agricultural and food products, which affects local farmers and food producers.

Sectarian forces fight for influence in Iraq's Diyala province

After being liberated from the Islamic State, the Diyala province is suffering from increased ethnic, sectarian and political conflicts that could turn into armed clashes at any moment.

A member of an Iraqi unit searches for bombs and mines near the site of an explosion in the city of Mosul, Iraq March 19, 2017. REUTERS/Youssef Boudlal - RC11A0823EB0

US faces WWII-scale explosives cleanup in Iraq after Islamic State fight

Cleaning up the booby traps that IS fighters have left all over the country will take many years and millions of dollars.

Prospect of Kurdish independence raises talk of war

Friction is growing between Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government as the latter's independence vote approaches.

A man looks at a printed banner of Kurdistan region referendum in Erbil, Iraq August 26, 2017. Picture taken August 26, 2017. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari - RC1D90FE8B20

200,000 Jewish Kurds headed for Iraqi Kurdistan, howls Turkish press

The Turkish media is abuzz with the story of a secret agreement between the Kurdistan Regional Government and Israel to resettle Jewish Israelis of Kurdish origin in Iraqi Kurdistan after the independence referendum, and some quarters are taking the news as an indication of US support for Kurdish independence.

Jordan opens crossing with Iraq, makes nice with Syria

Jordan hopes that the reopening of its border crossing with Iraq is a step toward economic recovery, a goal also leading it to maintain a more moderate approach toward the Syrian government.

Iraqi war victims find solace on stage

Theater therapy in Iraq is being utilized to help treat people suffering from war-related psychological problems, but institutionalizing the approach faces its own struggle in the country.

Saudi-Iranian rapprochement remains mirage

Despite talk of an impending rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran, facts on the ground suggest that reconciliation is not yet on the horizon.

Iraq sends Khamenei's envoy back to Iran with little to show

It appears Iran is trying to draw Iraqi Shiites together, but many religious leaders aren't willing to be herded.

The business of war: Egypt, others eye reconstruction bids

Despite lingering security concerns, Egypt is seeking a substantial, lucrative role in rebuilding Syria and Iraq.