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Iraq

May 9, 2026

Baghdad 3:58 pm

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Shiite Muslim cleric Moqtada Sadr gives a speech in Iraq's central holy shrine city of Najaf on August 30, 2022.

Iraq’s Sadr says 'exclude' armed groups from next government as pressure builds

The cleric's call comes as Prime Minister-designate Ali al-Zaidi tries to form a government amid political divisions and US demands to curb the influence of Iran-backed actors.

Popular Mobilization Forces

US sets expectations for Iraq’s next PM to confront Iranian militias

The Trump administration is cautiously sizing up Iraq’s new prime minister-designate, Ali al-Zaidi, as a potential partner in pushing back on Iranian influence.

Zaidi

Analysis

Iraq’s Zaidi offers economic promise for Turkey but unknowns loom

Iraq’s prime minister-designate, Ali al-Zaidi, is expected to sustain growing economic and strategic ties with Turkey thanks to his business-oriented approach, though uncertainty over his political stance could test cooperation on sensitive issues.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Latest News

Analysis

US banking on Iraqi turnaround with nomination of Zaidi as new PM

Ali Al-Zaidi

Week in Review

By Week in Review

Analysis

MENA wheat importers face food security risks as Hormuz crisis festers

Crops of wheat and barley in Terbol village on May 10, 2022, in Bekaa Valley, Lebanon.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Trump congratulates Iraq PM-designate Zaidi in call: What to know

Iraq's prime minister-designate, Ali al-Zaidi, at Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani's office on April 28, 2026.

Meet Ali al-Zaidi, businessman and Iraq's new prime minister-designate

Prime Minister Mohammed S. al-Sudani met with Prime Minister-designate Ali Faleh al-Zaidi on April 28, 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

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (centre L) attends a meeting with Iraqi heads of parliamentary blocs at the parliament house in Baghdad, December 6, 2012. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3B9XR

Iraqi Law to Reform Political Financing Blocked in Parliament

The Iraqi Council of Representatives is blocking a law that would create financial transparency for financing political parties.

Iraq's Parliament Speaker Osama al-Nujaifi (R) meets with Iraqi Kurdish President Masoud Barzani (L) in Baghdad, July 7, 2013. Barzani visited Baghdad on Sunday for the first time in more than two years, in a symbolic step to resolve disputes between the central government and the autonomous region over land and oil. The visit follows an equally rare trip by Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki who met Barzani in Kurdistan last month, breaking ice between leaders who have repeatedly accused each other of vi

Iraqi Kurdish Parties Dispute Law Extending Barzani Presidency

Due to its general disregard for the internal bylaws of the Iraqi Kurdistan region’s parliament, members of President Massoud Barzani’s party and the opposition both have objected to a law extending his term.

Female members of the Muslim Brotherhood and supporters of deposed Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi with a drum and flags shout slogans as they rally at the Rabaa Adawiya square, where they are camping at, in Cairo July 11, 2013. Political infighting threatened to stall Egypt's transition plans on Thursday, as the military cracked down on Muslim Brotherhood leaders it blames for inciting a clash in Cairo in which troops shot and killed 53 protesters. Monday's violence between supporters of Mursi, Egypt's fi

Iraqi Kurdistan's Islamist Parties Condemn Egyptian Coup

The Kurdistan Region of Iraq’s Islamist parties consider the coup that ousted Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi a setback for democracy.

A customer shops for clothes at a clothing store in Baghdad's Karrada district August 14, 2012. Iraq relies on imports from neighbours like Syria, Turkey and Iran for 95 percent of its consumer goods. Syria in particular is a key supplier of manufactured goods, fresh vegetables and fruit. But as an uprising there against President Bashar al-Assad grinds through its 17th month, the supply of Syrian goods to Iraq is slowly drying up as Syrian businesses are forced to close and trucks struggle to cross borders

Baghdad Delays New Iraqi Customs Law

As disagreements persist with Erbil, Baghdad has requested that an unimplemented customs tariff law be postponed in what some see as a bid to buy time for tensions to cool.

Demonstrators hold Kurdish flags and portraits of jailed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan during a gathering to celebrate Newroz in the southeastern Turkish city of Diyarbakir March 21, 2013. Jailed Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan ordered his fighters on Thursday to cease fire and withdraw from Turkish soil as a step to ending a conflict that has killed 40,000 people, riven the country and battered its economy. Hundreds of thousands of Kurds gathered in the regional centre of Diyarb

Turkish-Kurdish Peace Process Poorly Managed

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan needs to address the trauma resulting from the fight against PKK terror for over three decades.

A resident buys a newspaper from a kiosk in Baghdad February 23, 2009. A boom in local media since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003 has given Iraqis a choice between some 200 print outlets, 60 radio stations and 30 TV channels in Arabic, Turkmen, Syriac and two Kurdish dialects. Yet most media outlets remain dominated by sectarian and party patrons who use them for their own ends, and have yet to become commercially sustainable enterprises let alone watchdogs keeping government under scrutiny, the favoured Wes

Iraqi Parliament Puts Controversial Media Law on Hold

Due to controversial wording in its draft and a general outcry from the country’s media community, Iraq has not passed its Communications and Media Commission law.

Supporters of deposed Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi shout anti-army slogans during a protest in Cairo July 9, 2013. Egypt's interim President Adli Mansour on Tuesday named liberal economist and former finance minister Hazem el-Beblawi as prime minister in a transitional government, as the authorities sought to steer the country to new parliamentary and presidential elections. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem (EGYPT - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTX11HY6

Iran, Iraq React Differently to Morsi's Fall

A comparison of the Iraqi and Iranian reactions to the situation in Egypt shows a profound difference in their perspectives on democracy.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki (R) shakes hands with Iraqi Kurdish President Masoud Barzani (L) in Baghdad, July 7, 2013. Barzani visited Baghdad on Sunday for the first time in more than two years, in a symbolic step to resolve disputes between the central government and the autonomous region over land and oil. The visit follows an equally rare trip by Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki who met Barzani in Kurdistan last month, breaking ice between leaders who have repeatedly accused each other of vi

What are Egypt's Lessons for Iraq?

Having less to do with regional sectarian Sunni-Shiite disputes, Iraq’s political players should focus on the failure of political Islam in their analyses of the June 30 events in Egypt.

A resident walks past election campaign posters on Baghdad's Saadoun street January 3, 2009. The January 31 local election will apportion 440 seats on local councils that in turn name powerful regional governors. REUTERS/Saad Shalash (IRAQ) - RTR230LK

Iraqi Provincial Law Renews Debate Over Centralization

Whether Iraq’s various regions and provinces should be governed in a more centralized or decentralized manner continues as the focal point of political conflict in the country.

Goldsmith shops are seen in a market in Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad March 12, 2012. Gunmen often carry out lethal robbery attacks on goldsmith shops mostly in Baghdad, with the latest heist on a gold market on Monday causing the death of nine people. Picture taken March 12, 2012. REUTERS/Mohammed Ameen (IRAQ - Tags: CRIME LAW BUSINESS CIVIL UNREST) - RTR2ZBBG

Failed Banking System Prompts Iraqis to Hoard Gold

As Iraq continues to suffer from an array of security problems, citizens have lost faith in the banking sector and are converting their money to gold to store at home.

Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki (L) attends the International Islamic Conference for the Convergence and Dialogue in Baghdad April 27, 2013. REUTERS/Mohammed Ameen (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS RELIGION) - RTXZ1ML

Iraqi Parliament Prepares Battery Of New Legislation

Amid ongoing controversy, the Iraqi parliament is preparing to pass three different laws dealing with criminalizing the Baath Party and regulations for the court and political parties.

A worker adjusts a pipe at the Nassiriya oilfield in Nassiriya, 300km (185 miles) southeast of Baghdad,September 8, 2012. Production from Iraq's southern oilfields is at 2.5 million barrels per day as the country edges closer to becoming the world's biggest source of new supplies over the next few years, a senior Iraqi oil official said. Picture taken September 8, 2012. REUTERS/Atef Hassan (IRAQ - Tags: ENERGY BUSINESS) - RTR37U0U

Iraqi Provinces Consider More Autonomy in Managing Oil Wealth

An Iraqi researcher suggests that provinces across the country producing oil take advantage of the autonomy provided by amendments to the provincial administration laws.