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Iraq

October 15, 2026

Baghdad 11:41 am

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Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi meets with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Oct. 14, 2026, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Iraq’s Zaidi, Saudi crown prince discuss security as Houthi attacks escalate

Iraq has moved to improve ties with Saudi Arabia after Iran-backed militias struck the kingdom and amid the conflict with the Houthis in Yemen.

Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) fighters arrive in the northern Iraqi city of Dohuk on May 14, 2013, after leaving Turkey as part of a peace drive with Ankara.

Explainer

PKK pulls out of Metina in northern Iraq amid Turkey peace process

The withdrawal comes as the peace process between Turkey and the militant group gains momentum alongside increasing security cooperation between Ankara and Baghdad.

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.

Latest News

Explainer

What Iraq’s US troop withdrawal means for security after Kirkuk killings

A member of the Iraqi security forces flashes the victory sign during a military parade

Analysis

After US exit, Iran gains space in Iraq and a harder balancing act

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.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

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.

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

An independent Iraqi vendor sells Asiacell simcards for cell phones in front of the Asiacell company headquarters in Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, May 9, 2012. Mobile phone operator Asiacell has closed its offices in the Iraqi city of Mosul, an al Qaeda stronghold, after attacks and threats by militants, security officials and employees said this week. Picture taken May 9, 2012. REUTERS/Khalid al-Mousuly (IRAQ - Tags: CONFLICT BUSINESS TELECOMS) - RTR31V6B

Despite being illegal, sidewalk vendors thriving in Iraq

Because of their popularity, street vendors are thriving in Iraq in spite of government attempts to control them.

An Iraqi Marsh Arab stands as British soldiers patrol in Iraq's southern marshlands near Basra December 16, 2005, a day after [elections for the country's first full-term parliament since Saddam Hussein's overthrow. Millions of ballot papers were being counted and recounted on Friday as Iraqis celebrated a peaceful election that saw rebellious Sunni Arabs join in for the first time, pushing turnout close to 70 percent.] - RTXO2IL

Iraqi women mostly absent from political scene

Despite some gains made in recent decades, Iraqi women remain largely absent from the country’s political scene.

Iraq a hotbed of human trafficking

Although the Iraqi government enacted a law criminalizing human trafficking in 2012, it's rarely if ever enforced.

Sistani silent so far on Anbar violence

Iraqi Shiite cleric Ali al-Sistani has remained silent regarding developments in Anbar, in line with his vision of a clear division between religious authorities and the state.

Has al-Qaeda found Zarqawi's successor?

The emergence of Shaker Wahib, a young, charismatic field commander in the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), may be tied to the organization’s deeper goals.

Ammar al-Hakim, leader of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (ISCI), gives a speech during prayers for the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha in Baghdad, October 16, 2013. Muslims around the world celebrate Eid al-Adha, marking the end of the haj, by slaughtering sheep, goats, cows and camels to commemorate Prophet Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son Ismail on God's command. REUTERS/Saad Shalash (IRAQ - Tags: RELIGION SOCIETY POLITICS) - RTX14DIE

Hakim launches political initiative to resolve Anbar crisis

A new initiative by Ammar al-Hakim may succeed in solving the Anbar crises because it relies on more than security measures.

Nationalist themes co-opt Iraqi music, again

Saddam Hussein took over Iraq’s cultural institutions to produce war propaganda songs, and a similar pattern is appearing today.

Lebanese cleric offers moderate vision in 'Shiite Charter'

Moderate Shiite leaders from the region will soon issue a statement about a new vision of moderation.

Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki waits to take an oath at the house of parliament in Baghdad December 21, 2010. Iraq's parliament approved Nuri al-Maliki as prime minister on Tuesday, giving the Shi'ite leader a second term as Iraq tries to cement fragile security gains and build its fledging democracy. REUTERS/Saad Shalash (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTXVXLT

The crisis of Iraqi 'democracy'

Many in Iraq have grown to despise the concept of "democracy" over the last 10 years because of the country’s limited experience with it and their failure to build a true, consensual democracy.

Iraqi soldiers inspect a vehicle at a check point in west Baghdad, January 6, 2014. Iraq's prime minister urged people in the besieged city of Falluja on Monday to drive out al Qaeda-linked insurgents to pre-empt a military offensive that officials said could be launched within days. In a statement on state television, Nuri al-Maliki, a Shi'ite Muslim whose government has little support in Sunni-dominated Falluja, called on tribal leaders to drive out militants who last week seized key towns in the desert

Anbar Council calls for end to military siege by Iraqi government forces

Local leaders in Anbar seek a local solution to the current crisis.

Gunmen fighters walk in the streets of the city of Falluja, 50 km (31 miles) west of Baghdad January 3, 2014. Sunni Muslim tribesmen backed by Iraqi troops fought al Qaeda-linked militants for control of Iraq's western province of Anbar on Friday in a critical test of strength for the Shi'ite-led government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. Those fears were stirred anew on Thursday when tribesmen, angry at the central government in Baghdad and what they perceive as Sunni marginalisation in politics, clashed

ISIS foreign fighters spur backlash in Iraq, Syria

Many Sunni Iraqis and Syrians are fighting back against the foreign fighters and extreme practices of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS).

Masked Sunni gunmen chant slogans during a protest against Iraq's Shiite-led government, demanding that the Iraqi army not try to enter the city, in Falluja, 50 km (31 miles) west of Baghdad January 7, 2014. The Iraqi army deployed tanks and artillery around Falluja on Tuesday, security officials said, as local leaders in the besieged city urged al Qaeda-linked militants to leave in order to avert an impending military assault. Many in Iraq's once dominant Sunni Muslim minority, the main group in Anbar, sha

Iraq’s future uncertain as Anbar escalates

Recent clashes in Anbar have made Iraq's future even more uncertain.