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Iraq

October 9, 2026

Baghdad 10:42 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

Ammar al-Hakim, leader of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (ISCI), speaks during news conference with Iraqi Kurdish regional President Massoud Barzani in Baghdad, Iraq, September 29, 2016. REUTERS/Khalid al Mousily - RTSQ39J

Iraq's Hakim moves out of Iran's shadow

Ammar al-Hakim has left Iraq's Supreme Islamic Council and formed a new political party against Iran's wishes, indicating he is adopting an independent stance.

KRG doubles down on independence vote after Baghdad meeting

A visit by a Kurdish delegation to Baghdad amid strong regional and international objections to a Kurdish independence referendum failed to convince the Iraqi government of the merits of the vote.

Syrian government forces secure a road for a military convoy in the desert area of Saba' Biyar, in southeastern Syria near the border with Iraq, on May 10, 2017, as fierce clashes are reported in the region. / AFP PHOTO / STRINGER (Photo credit should read STRINGER/AFP/Getty Images)

Tensions flare between US, Shiite factions in Iraq

The recent escalation by Iran-affiliated Iraqi Shiite militias against US forces on the Iraqi-Syrian border may offer an early indication of the coming confrontation between the two sides after the Islamic State is eliminated from Iraq.

A member of Kurdish security forces stands guard in Sinjar region, Iraq August 2, 2017. Picture taken August 2, 2017. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem - RTS1A8QS

Turkey fumes as Sinjar Yazidis declare 'democratic autonomy'

Some Yazidis have announced their opposition to the Iraqi Kurdistan independence vote, as Turkey and Iran consider attacking the Yazidi-allied PKK in the Qandil Mountains.

Meet Mosul's rebellious tattoo artists

Mosul's tattoo artists went underground when the Islamic State occupied the city, but now they're back and they hope the city is more open than before the occupation.

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Turkey, Iran step up coordination in Syria

Once unthinkable, an emerging consensus is developing between Ankara and Tehran in Syria, as Washington and Moscow try to keep pace; Iraqi Kurdish sources signal that it could be possible to delay a Kurdish independence referendum for a “short time.”

A member from the Iraqi security forces stands guard at a checkpoint during a patrol at the border between Iraq and Saudi Arabia, February 17, 2016. Picture taken February 17, 2016. REUTERS/Alaa Al-Marjani - RTX27OUC

Iraq, Saudi Arabia to reopen border crossings after 27 years

As Iraq and Saudi are preparing to open land border crossings between them, trade activities are likely to resume in the next few weeks.

Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (R) talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, June 19, 2017. Bandar Algaloud/Courtesy of Saudi Royal Court/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RTS17RSB

Saudi Arabia engages Iraq at Iran's dismay

Iraq's rapprochement with Arab Sunni countries including Saudi Arabia is putting increased pressure on Iran.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu gestures during a news conference at the European Commission in Brussels, Belgium July 25, 2017. REUTERS/Eric Vidal - RTX3CUTU

Turkey squawks as KRG referendum nears

As regional and US pressure ramps up on Iraqi Kurds to postpone the independence referendum, Iraqi Kurdistan President Massoud Barzani seems unlikely to crack.

Iraqi army vehicles and a helicopter deploy in the front line in al-Anbar desert, 50 kms north east of Haditha, where the country's forces are fighting the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group, on March 9, 2016.
Counter-terrorism forces, soldiers, police and allied paramilitaries are taking part in an operation launched on March 1, which is backed by artillery and both Iraqi and US-led coalition aircraft, aimed at retaking areas north of Baghdad, according to the Joint Operations Command. / AFP / AHMAD AL-RUBA

After Mosul, Iraq's western Anbar next up in IS fight

An Iraqi offensive against the Islamic State is likely to take place in the near future in the western Anbar province, with the city of Haditha being the gateway to the region.

NAJAF, IRAQ - MAY 2: Shiite cleric Sayed Moqtada al-Sadr sits in his offices beneath a portrait of his late father Ayatollah Mohammed Sadeq el-Sadr May 2, 2003 in Najaf, Iraq. A day earlier Iraqi Shiites gathered in the city to mark the anniversary of the death of Mohammed. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

What’s next for GCC-Iraq ties after Sadr's UAE visit?

Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has made trips to Saudi Arabia and the UAE to meet with Gulf leaders, but improving Iraq-GCC ties will be no easy task.

TOPSHOT - Iraqi Christians attend a mass at the Church of the Immaculate Conception on July 24, 2017 in the predominantly Christian Iraqi town of Qaraqosh (also known as Hamdaniya), some 30 kilometres from Mosul.
Cardinal Philippe Barbarin, who was split between "sadness" and "hope", attended a mass for the "renaissance" in Qaraqosh, which housed one of the largest Christian communities in Iraq before its capture by the Islamic State group . / AFP PHOTO / SAFIN HAMED / The erroneous date appearing in the

Armed disputes reveal Iraqi Christians' discord

Run-ins between Christian factions' armed units in Iraq expose growing gaps in the parties' visions for their future.