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Iraq

March 11, 2026

Baghdad 3:35 pm

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The sun sets behind burning gas flares at the Dora Oil Refinery Complex in Baghdad on Nov. 24, 2025.

Exclusive

Baghdad, US turn to Iraqi Kurds for oil exports as Iran war hits supplies

Baghdad wants Kurdish pipelines to move up to 200,000 barrels per day to global markets, but Erbil is demanding relief from a dollar embargo and greater autonomy over trade.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Kurdish Peshmerga fighters affiliated with PAK train on Jan. 18, 2026, near Erbil, Iraq.

Why Israel's looking to Kurds to make gains against Iran regime

Israeli-Kurdish relations are rooted in a common struggle against Islamic extremism and the Kurds’ strategic presence across Turkey, Syria and Iran.

Osama Al Maqdoni / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

CIA, Mossad bolster Iran’s Kurds as US, Israel seek to ignite military revolt

Israel hopes Iran’s Kurds, and other minorities, will mobilize to help bring down the Iranian regime.

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

A picture from the formation of the Coalition of Political Forces of Iranian Kurdistan on Feb. 22, 2026.

Which 6 Kurdish groups could join the war in Iran?

Iranian Kurdish groups that recently formed an alliance could soon join the United States and Israel in their campaign against the Islamic Republic, Al-Monitor has learned.

Latest News

Exclusive

US-backed Kurdish forces poised to enter Iran from Iraqi Kurdistan 'within days'

A member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI) participates in a military drill in an outpost near Erbil, Kurdistan region of Iraq on Jan. 15, 2026.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Analysis

Kurds see opening yet remain wary as Trump seeks help to oust Iran regime

An Iranian Kurdish Peshmerga member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI) inspects damage sustained at the Azadi Camp of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI) following an Iranian cross-border attack in the town of Koye (Koysinjaq), in the east of Erbil district in the autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq on March 3, 2026. The United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran on February 28, with the killing of Iran's supreme leader and the Islamic republic retaliated with barr

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Turkey to repatriate its ISIS fighters from Iraq as jihadis escalate Syria attacks

Women and children seen inside al-Hol camp, amongst them some 6,200 women and children from around 40 nationalities, and including relatives of suspected Islamic State jihadists in the desert region of Hasakah province on Jan. 25, 2026 in Al Hasakah, Syria.

Here is what to know about Kuwait-Iraq maritime dispute

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Iraq, Baghdad, Iraq.

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

People sit in the back of a truck as they celebrate what they said was the liberation of villages from Islamist rebels near the city of Ras al-Ain in the province of Hasakah, after capturing it from Islamist rebels November 6, 2013. Redur Xelil, spokesman for the armed wing of the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), said Kurdish militias had seized the city of Ras al-Ain and all its surrounding villages. Syrian Kurdish fighters have captured more territory from Islamist rebels in northeastern Syria

Syrian Kurds discuss differences over Geneva II

At the core of Syrian Kurd differences is tension between Kurdistan Democratic Party leader Massoud Barzani and Kurdistan Workers Party leader Abdullah Ocalan.

Iraqis walk down Al-Rashid Street in the capital Baghdad, January 2, 2005. Rashid Street, the once vibrant heart of the city, has been in sad decline for decades, its intellectual life choked by repression, its cafes and stores strangled by war and sanctions. But it has taken the anarchy, crime and guerrilla violence unleashed after the U.S. overthrow of Saddam Hussein to kill off what was left of Rashid Street's colonnaded, Ottoman-era charm. TO ACCOMPANY FEATURE STORY BC-IRAQ-STREET REUTERS/Faleh Kheiber

Maliki's housing initiative may be part of election strategy

Is Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's "National Initiative for Housing" a means to win votes?

Assyrian mural sculptures are displayed in the Iraqi national museum in Baghdad September 24, 2008. In Iraq's national museum, a frieze shows an Assyrian king, whose former capital is now in modern Iraq, besieging what looks like a walled town as soldiers pile decapitated heads at his feet. Picture taken September 24, 2008. To match feature IRAQ/MUSEUM REUTERS/Ceerwan Aziz (IRAQ) - RTX95P0

National Museum of Iraq remains closed to public

Four years after officially reopening, Iraq's national museum remains off-limits to average Iraqis and information about it is difficult to obtain.

Baghdad-Erbil oil dispute: Agreeing to disagree, for now

As the Erbil-Baghdad oil controversy drags on, it remains unclear how ties will be affected between Ankara, Erbil and Baghdad.

Iraqi Shi'ite radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr (C) takes part in Friday prayers at the Kufa mosque near Najaf, 160 km (100 miles) south of Baghdad May 10, 2013. REUTERS/Ahmad Mousa (IRAQ - Tags: RELIGION) - RTXZHC5

Maliki-Sadr rivalry intensifies ahead of Iraqi elections

Both Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and Muqtada al-Sadr may be vying for Iran's backing in next year's elections.

Students attend a class on the first day of the new school term in Kerbala, 110 km (68 miles) south of Baghdad, September 24, 2013. REUTERS/Mushtaq Muhammed (IRAQ - Tags: EDUCATION SOCIETY) - RTX13Y2I

Teacher violence increases against Iraqi students

The recent case of an 8-year-old Iraqi girl who was beaten for not wearing a headscarf has highlighted the ongoing use of violence as a form of punishment in Iraqi schools.

A protester holds up his red-inked finger during a demonstration at Tahrir Square in central Baghdad March 7, 2011. The protesters say they inked their fingers to show their disapproval with the government they elected in March 7, 2010, which they claim have not fulfilled its promises. REUTERS/Saad Shalash (IRAQ - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS) - RTR2JKMV

Iraqi politicians fail to convince voters change is possible

While all of Iraq’s disparate political factions claim to seek the very change voters are demanding, none so far have taken any action to truly convince their electorates.

Blood stains are seen on the ground after a suicide bombing at the Kurdish Internal Security Forces Center (Asayish) at the Suez Canal neighbourhood in Qamishli November 23, 2013. The al-Qaeda linked Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant have claimed responsibility for the bombing which killed three people, including two members of the Asayish police force, and nine others wounded, activists said. Picture taken November 23, 2013. REUTERS/Massoud Mohammed (SYRIA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST CONFLICT) - RTX15

ISIS exploits weak Iraqi, Syrian states

Historically targeting non-central parts of the countries in which it operates, al-Qaeda, in the form of ISIS, is taking advantage of prevailing instability in Syria and Iraq to deepen its roots.

EDITORS' NOTE: Reuters and other foreign media are subject to Iranian restrictions on their ability to report, film or take pictures in Tehran.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei meets with Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki in Tehran October 18, 2010. REUTERS/Khamenei.ir (IRAN - Tags: POLITICS) ) THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS - RTXTK0D

US, Iranian influence evolves in Iraq

After the Geneva breakthrough on Iran’s nuclear program and the potential for a US-Iran entente, it is worth looking at the role both sides play in an ever-turbulent Iraq.

A Muslim girl learns to read the Koran at a madrassa, or religious school, during the holy month of Ramadan in the old quarters of Delhi July 31, 2013. REUTERS/Mansi Thapliyal (INDIA - Tags: RELIGION SOCIETY EDUCATION) - RTX125PR

Efforts to impose Sharia law in Iraq spark controversy

Attempts to establish Sharia law in Iraq have exacerbated political rifts in a country torn by those advocating secularism and those calling for an Islamic state.

Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan addresses members of parliament from his ruling AK Party (AKP) during a meeting at the Turkish parliament in Ankara November 26, 2013. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX15TO8

Iran nuclear accord requires secular 'reset' of Turkey's foreign policy

In the aftermath of Iran's nuclear accord, Turkey can only play an effective regional role if it adopts a secular foreign policy.

A view of the city of Arbil, capital of the autonomous Kurdistan region, about 350 km (217 miles) north of Baghdad, September 20, 2013. Parliamentary elections for the Kurdish regional administration will be held on September 21. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani (IRAQ - Tags: CITYSCAPE ELECTIONS POLITICS) - RTX13SPJ

Sulaimaniyah scene of power struggle among Iraqi Kurdish parties

Infighting and growing polarization between leaders in Erbil and Sulaimaniyah have raised concerns about the unity of Iraqi Kurdistan.