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Iraq

October 11, 2026

Baghdad 5:52 pm

34°C

Demonstrators ride through a street while waving Syrian flags

Analysis

Why Syria and Iraq are taking different approaches to armed groups

Shelly Kittleson

By Shelly Kittleson

In Baghdad, reporting on Iraqi politics

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

Latest News

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

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.

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

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

Syrian opposition leader Ahmad Jarba looks on as he makes a statement after the conclusion of talks on Syria, in Geneva January 31, 2014. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse (SWITZERLAND - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX182HC

Unlikely partners join forces to lead by example in Syria

An opposition group known as Syria’s Tomorrow and Kurdish self-rule proponents have forged an agreement they hope will bring other opposition factions together and enlist the support of Arab countries to end the war and build a civil democratic pluralist state.

U.S. based cleric Fethullah Gulen at his home in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania, U.S. July 29, 2016. REUTERS/Charles Mostoller - RTSKAK8

Iraqi Kurdistan government seized, sold Gulen schools

The Kurdistan Regional Government, at Turkey's request, has sold educational institutes affiliated with the cleric Fethullah Gulen and seized other Gulenist-run institutions.

Iraq's Vice President Nouri al-Maliki (L) and new Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi shake hands during the session to approve the new government in Baghdad, September 8, 2014.Iraq's parliament approved a new government headed by Haider al-Abadi as prime minister on Monday night, in a bid to rescue Iraq from collapse, with sectarianism and Arab-Kurdish tensions on the rise. REUTERS/Hadi Mizban/Pool (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR45G35

Iraqi ministers fall like dominoes as Maliki's bloc targets Abadi

A parliamentary bloc led by former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is behind the recent dismissal of several ministers as part of a plan to bring down the government of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and pave the way for Nouri al-Maliki's nomination in the coming election.

Vehicles of the Hashid Shaabi (Popular Mobilization) take part in a military parade in the streets of Baghdad, Iraq July 12, 2016. REUTERS/Khalid al Mousily - RTSHJ8D

Sunni blocs oppose legal immunity for Popular Mobilization Units

The Shiite Iraqi National Alliance is to propose legal immunity for the Popular Mobilization Units, but Sunni blocs in parliament are likely to object to the proposal.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) meets with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan ahead of the G20 Summit in Hangzhou, China September 3, 2016. Sputnik/Kremlin/Alexei Druzhinin/via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. EDITORIAL USE ONLY. - RTX2NZZP

Foreign policy mishaps prove costly for Turkish contractors

The AKP government’s foreign policy blunders have cost Turkish contractors abroad $16 billion of revenue losses.

Iranian pilgrims gather outside the Imam Hussein and Imam Abbas shrines in Kerbala, southwest of Baghdad, September 11, 2016. REUTERS/Alaa Al-Marjani - RTSN8JH

Why is Iraq not profiting from religious tourism?

While the number of Shiite pilgrims to Iraqi holy sites has been increasing significantly since 2003, Iraq has failed to benefit economically.

Iraq’s technocrat ministers under threat

Recently elected Iraqi independent, technocrat ministers face threats from militants without having adequate support from the political parties.

An exterior view of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) headquarters is seen in Washington July 1, 2015. Greece's last-minute overtures to international creditors for financial aid on Tuesday were not enough to save the country from becoming the first developed economy to default on a loan with the International Monetary Fund. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RTX1IO51

What's the status of IMF loan as Iraq dismisses finance minister?

The International Monetary Fund has granted a $3 billion loan to Iraq; however, parliament and the government have not yet reached an agreement over the loan conditions.

A man walks at a destroyed building at the site of a blast caused by a fire at a weapons storage in eastern Baghdad, Iraq, September 2, 2016. REUTERS/Ahmed Saad - RTX2NV19

Abadi orders weapons caches out of Baghdad in wake of deadly blast

In the wake of a horrific explosion at a weapons cache site that killed four people, Iraq's prime minister has ordered that arms depots be removed from residential areas in Baghdad and other cities.

Decline of higher education in Iraq continues

Despite several recent achievements, Iraq's universities still suffer from poor management, corruption and sectarianism.

Iraqi security forces and Shi'ite paramilitary fighters hold an Islamist State flag, which they pulled down in Tikrit, March 31, 2015. Iraqi troops aided by Shi'ite paramilitaries and Sunni tribal fighters have reached the center of Tikrit after securing the Sunni city's southern and western sections from Islamic State militants, Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi said on Tuesday. "Our security forces have reached the center of Tikrit and they have liberated the southern and western sides and they are moving to

Attacks spark fears that Iraq's 'liberated areas' aren't free of IS

Islamic State fighters are still launching attacks against Iraq’s security forces in the liberated areas, indicating that there are still some IS enclaves and cells present on the edges of the cities.

Military vehicles of the Kurdish Peshmerga forces are seen on the southeast of Mosul , Iraq, August 14, 2016. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari - RTX2KRSN

Iraqis already arguing over land they haven't yet freed from IS

As efforts advance to liberate Mosul, the capital of Ninevah province, disputes are brewing over proposals to divide up the governorate.