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Iraq

August 16, 2026

Baghdad 8:38 pm

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A man inspects the damage at the site of a strike in Bartalla, in the northern Iraq's Nineveh province, after US-Saudi attacks on militias, July 29, 2026.

Iraq intel and security officials visit Saudi Arabia after drone attacks

Iraqi authorities are cracking down on drone attacks after US and Saudi airstrikes targeted Iran-backed militias in the country.

The commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Esmail Qaani, speaks during a commemoration ceremony marking the anniversary of the 2020 killing of Guards general Qasem Soleimani (on screen) in the capital Tehran on Jan. 3, 2024.

Analysis

What Qaani's Baghdad visit reveals about Iran's post-war dilemma

The Quds Force commander's Baghdad visit is occurring as Iran faced difficult choices in Iraq where the government is moving to bring powerful armed groups under state control after the recent war.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Qaani

IRGC chief Qaani reportedly in Iraq ahead of militia deadline

Esmail Qaani, who heads the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force, has been heavily involved in Iran’s relations with Iraqi militias.

Latest News

Analysis

How Turkey is deepening energy and economic ties with Iraq as Iran weakens

a worker inspects an oil field in Iraq

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Iraqi Kurdish president’s meeting with Syria’s Sharaa signals shift in SDF dynamics

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa meets with Iraqi Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani in Damascus, Aug. 3, 2026. IKRPresident/X

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

Iraq elections

Iraqi parliament's attempt to amend electoral law met with anger

The controversial amendment, which will benefit Iraq's larger political parties at the expense of independent ones, is causing political division in the country between the ruling coalition and Sadrists, among others.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein speak to the media prior to a meeting, in the Treaty Room of the US State Department in Washington, DC, on February 9, 2023. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP) (Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)

Iraq's FM: We are in touch with the US, Iran to reduce tensions

In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, Fuad Hussein discusses US-Iraq economic relations, regional economic integration and sanctions on Russia and Iran.

Lavrov Hussein

Russia's Lavrov in Iraq, looks for sanctions relief

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s trip to Iraq focused on expanding energy and trade ties, while making a pitch for relief from US sanctions.

An Iraqi farmer on a boat collects reeds from the banks of the southern Chibayish marshes in Dhi Qar province, on January 23, 2023, as water levels recover following a rainy period. (Photo by ASAAD NIAZI/AFP via Getty Images)

Iraq's PM in UAE as Abu Dhabi announces water project in Sinjar

Iraq is pivoting towards the Gulf in its foreign policy while also seeking to maintain good ties with Iran.

AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP via Getty Images

Iraq lowers dollar-dinar exchange rate

The Iraqi dinar has been depreciating against the dollar amid restrictions from the US Federal Reserve and other issues.

Jordan's King Abdullah II (R) escorts Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (C) and Iraq's Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani (L) along with other dignitaries at the start of the "Baghdad Conference for Cooperation and Partnership" in Sweimeh by the Dead Sea shore in central-west Jordan on December 20, 2022. (Photo by KHALIL MAZRAAWI/AFP via Getty Images)

Trilateral Biden-Abdullah-Sudani call reiterated support for Iraq

The Iraqi prime minister also discussed Iraq’s economic situation with the president as the dinar continues to slide against the dollar. Jordan's King Abdullah II was also on the call.

Turkish tanks are positioned in the Turkish military base in Bashiqa, several kilometers outside of Mosul, Iraq.

Pro-Iran group claims attack on Turkey's base in northern Iraq

The so-called Bashiqa base, which has long been a source of tension between Ankara and Baghdad, is a frequent target of rocket attacks by pro-Iranian groups in Iraq.

Saudi Arabia's Minister of Energy Abdulaziz bin Salman looks on during a press conference after the 45th Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee and the 33rd OPEC and non-OPEC Ministerial Meeting in Vienna, Austria, on October 5, 2022. (Photo by VLADIMIR SIMICEK/AFP via Getty Images)

OPEC+ likely to maintain oil output at meeting, in gesture to US

While the OPEC+ group is expected to maintain oil production at its virtual meeting set for Feb. 1, global demand for oil is estimated to reach a record high in 2023.

Middle East corruption rankings: Syria most corrupt, UAE least, Turkey slipped

Corruption remains rampant across the Middle East and North Africa, Transparency International reports, with the region’s average score in combating corruption hitting a new low of 38.

BAKR ALKASEM/AFP via Getty Images

Strikes near Iraqi border mark widening regional battle against Iran

Strikes widely attributed to Israel have hit an Iranian convoy near the Iraqi border after it crossed out of the country.

Baghdad dinar protest

Protests in Iraq amid local currency devaluation, Central Bank changes

Restrictions from the US Federal Reserve, corruption, and Iraq’s lack of an electronic banking system have all led to the dinar’s recent fall in value against the dollar.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and the German chancellor (not in picture) give a joint press conference at the Chancellery, Berlin, Germany, Jan. 13, 2023.

Explainer: What is behind Iraq's Central Bank shuffle and what is next?

The economic crisis in Iraq as a result of the ongoing rise in the value of the US dollar against the dinar resulted in the prime minister sacking the heads of the Central Bank of Iraq and the Trade Bank of Iraq.