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Iraq

August 24, 2026

Baghdad 7:06 am

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Zaidi

Iraq’s Zaidi doubles down on militia disarmament, boosting oil exports

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi made the comments amid Hormuz-related export struggles and a nearing deadline for armed groups to disarm.

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

Latest News

Explainer

Iraq seeks special Hormuz access from Iran in scramble to keep oil flowing

AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP via Getty Images

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.

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

How leaked documents find their way to Iraqi media

Politicians and government staff are discretely leaking official documents in the name of exposing corruption.

Has Ankara abandoned Iraq’s Turkmens?

Shiite Turkmens of Iraq, feeling that Turkey has failed them, are fighting with Iraq's Popular Mobilization Units.

Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir attends a meeting for Gulf states Foreign Ministers in Riyadh, December 7, 2015. REUTERS/Faisal Al Nasser - RTX1XLV1

What are the real goals of Riyadh’s new Islamic coalition?

The Saudi-led Islamic coalition was not formed to only combat IS, but also to determine the future of Sunni areas in the conflict areas in Syria and Iraq.

Christian Syrian refugee Ghassan Aleid displays his Syrian passport at a terminal at the Charles-de-Gaulle Airport in Roissy, France, October 2, 2015. After the efforts of the mayor of Le Mans and a family member, a doctor residing in Le Mans, France accorded travel visas, requested a year ago, for the family who fled the conflict in Syria. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe - RTS2S8H

Iraqis see fake Syrian passport as golden ticket to Europe

Iraqis are buying forged Syrian passports to try to increase their chances of winning asylum in European countries.

People operate heavy machinery during the building of a new road between Diyala province and Samarra December 21, 2014. A Shi'ite paramilitary organization is constructing a road to strengthen its positions across the mixed areas of Diyala and neighbouring Salahuddin province. The Badr Organization, a leading political party and militia with ties to Iran, is supervising the new road, which leads to Samarra. It means Badr can resupply troops guarding Samarra, currently surrounded by Islamic State, and the 3

After liberation from IS, Iraqi cities await reconstruction

After the Islamic State was defeated in several areas in Iraq, it seems the reconstruction promises have yet to be fulfilled in the absence of funds.

Three faiths, three commanders

The Popular Mobilization Units, initially identified as a Shiite militia, is changing the course of the battles in Iraq with participation of Sunnis and Christians.

The Ramadi illusion

The Iraqi military's long overdue capture of Ramadi is still uncertain and will hardly be enough to defeat the Islamic State.

U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks to supporters at the Westin Hilton Head Island Resort and Spa in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, December 30, 2015. REUTERS/Randall Hill - RTX20JLW

Candidates for president flesh out their anti-IS war plans

Republican contenders agree on only one thing: Obama’s strategy isn’t working.

Fighters from the Democratic Forces of Syria drive in a convoy as they enter the Syrian town of al Houl in Hasaka province, after they took control of it from Islamic State militants, November 14, 2015. A U.S.-backed Syrian rebel alliance on Friday captured the town of al Houl in Hasaka province, which had been held by Islamic State militants, a spokesman for the Kurdish fighters, part of the grouping, said. It was the first significant advance against IS by the Democratic Forces of Syria, which was formed

Is Rojava’s model the awaited solution for Syrian crisis?

In an interview with Al-Monitor, Eldar Khalil, member of the governing body for the TEV-DEM, gives an overview of the Kurds’ situation in the Rojava region, a de facto autonomous region of Syria.

Iraqi Shi'ite fighters demonstrate with their weapons during a military-style training at a camp in on the outskirt of Damascus February 13, 2014. Picture taken February 13, 2014. REUTERS/Alaa Al-Marjani (SYRIA - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS CONFLICT) - RTX18VD3

Who is sending Iraqi fighters to Syria?

Mystery continues to surround the flow of Iraqi Shiite fighters combating the Islamic State in Syria alongside the Syrian regime, while the Popular Mobilization Units denies involvement.

Thousands of Turks stranded at Iraqi border

Thousands of people were left stranded in Iraq when Turkey closed the Habur crossing following the imposition of curfews in the nearby towns of Cizre and Silopi.

Iraq's Popular Mobilization Units warn against 'renewed occupation' by US

Iraqi factions, namely the Popular Mobilization Units, reject the presence of US troops on Iraqi soil, as some claim that their presence benefits the Islamic State.