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Iraq

October 16, 2026

Baghdad 4:02 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

In a break from past policies, the new governments in Damascus and Baghdad are clamping down on militant groups with the capacity or desire to harm regional partners.

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

A customer counts Iraqi dinars at a money changer in Baghdad October 1, 2012. Many Iraqis have lost faith in their dinar currency but to some foreign speculators, it promises big profits. The contrast underlines the uncertainties of investing in Iraq as the country recovers from years of war and economic sanctions. Picture taken October 1, 2012. To match IRAQ-ECONOMY/DINAR REUTERS/Saad Shalash (IRAQ - Tags: BUSINESS POLITICS) - RTR38QU1

Money Laundering in Billions, Iraqi Official Estimates

Conflicting reports by Iraqi officials bring attention to allegedly rampant money-laundering operations in Iraq.

Children look at the site of a bomb attack, one day after the blast, in the center of Baquba, 65 km (40 miles) northeast of Baghdad, August 15, 2013. Twin roadside bombs exploded in the Iraqi city of Baquba on Wednesday, killing 14 people and wounding 26, police said, the latest in a wave of summer attacks. REUTERS/Mohammed Adnan (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST SOCIETY) - RTX12M8P

Reconciliation, Decision-Making In Iraq

As the security situation continues to deteriorate, Iraqi political groups must reconcile and work together to ensure all players have a say in the decision-making process.

Syrian refugees, who fled violence in Syria, are seen at a new refugee camp on the outskirts of the city of Arbil, in Iraq's Kurdistan region, August 20, 2013. The government of Iraqi Kurdistan has set an entry quota of 3,000 refugees a day to cope with an influx of Kurds fleeing the civil war in Syria, but there are signs many more are still coming in, aid agencies said on Tuesday. REUTERS/Thaier al-Sudani (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST SOCIETY IMMIGRATION) - RTX12RQY

Iraqi Kurdistan Struggles With Influx of Syrian Refugees

Like other countries in the region struggling to take in the huge influx of Syrian refugees fleeing the war at home, the Kurdistan Region of Iraq has not received the international support needed to do so.

Supporters of Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah carry his picture and wave Hezbollah and Lebanese flags as they listen to him via a screen during a rally on the 7th anniversary of the end of Hezbollah's 2006 war with Israel, in Aita al-Shaab village in southern Lebanon, August 16, 2013. Nasrallah renewed his commitment on Friday to the battle in Syria, where the Shi'ite militant group has been fighting alongside President Bashar al-Assad's forces, saying he was ready to go himself if needed

Lebanon Risks Becoming More Like Iraq Than Syria

The nature of back-and-forth Shiite-Sunni fighting in Lebanon more closely resembles the conflict raging in Iraq than the one in neighboring Syria.

Iraq's Assyrian Catholic residents hold a memorial Mass marking the first anniversary of victims killed in a militant attack on the Our Lady of Salvation Church in 2010, at the Church in Baghdad October 31, 2011. Fifty-two hostages and police were killed during an attack on the church on October 31, 2010. REUTERS/Saad Shalash (IRAQ - Tags: RELIGION SOCIETY ANNIVERSARY POLITICS) - RTR2TGJ6

Assyrians Discuss Possible State in Iraq

Diasporan Assyrians, descendants of one of Iraq’s oppressed and scattered historic minorities, are examining establishing an autonomous or independent state in Ninevah province.

Residents inspect the site of a car bomb attack in Basra, 420 km (260 miles) southeast of Baghdad, July 29, 2013. One car bomb went off in a busy popular market north of the southern oil hub city of Basra on Monday, killing at least two civilians and wounding 10 others, police and medical sources said. REUTERS/Stringer (IRAQ - Tags: CIVIL UNREST) - RTX123II

After Bombing, Basra Governor Sees 'Political' Price to Pay

A truck bomb explosion on the Basra docks exposes the tenuous security situation, and Basra's governor says, "The city is paying the price for the political differences in the country."

People visit the "Valley of Peace" cemetery during the first day of the Eid al-Fitr in Najaf, 160 km (100 miles) south of Baghdad, August 9, 2013. Muslims around the world celebrate Eid al-fitr to mark the end of Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar. REUTERS/Ahmad Mousa (IRAQ - Tags: RELIGION) - RTX12ESW

Najaf Seminary Plays Role Of Iraqi Opposition

The multiple failings of the Iraqi government have given Najaf the opportunity to play the opposition’s role.

A vehicle burns at the scene of a car bomb attack in Baghdad's Kadhimiya district August 15, 2013. A series of car bombs in Baghdad killed at least 28 people and wounded more than 100 on Thursday, with one exploding near the "Green Zone" diplomatic complex, the latest attacks in some of the worst violence since U.S. troops left. REUTERS/Stringer (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS CONFLICT) - RTX12M6R

Despite New Security Measures, Violence Persists in Iraq

Although the Iraqi government has developed new plans to address the deteriorating security situation, violence continues to strike throughout the country.

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei leads the morning Eid prayers at the Imam Khomeini grand mosque in central Tehran November 4, 2005. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi - RTR1A4VI

Khamenei’s Controversial Fatwas

Iran’s supreme leader employs traditionalist fatwas to establish his political and religious authority.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari speaks at the Diplomatic and Political Joint Coordinating Committee meeting hosted by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry at the State Department in Washington August 15, 2013. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX12MHG

Iraqi Official: Rouhani 'Means Serious Business' With US

Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari says the Iranian leadership could have prevented Hassan Rouhani from becoming president if it wanted to continue hard-line policies toward the United States.

Kurdish Peshmerga troops are deployed on the outskirts of Kirkuk, some 250km (155 miles) north of Baghdad, November 24, 2012. Iraq's Kurdish region has sent reinforcements to a disputed area where its troops are involved in a standoff with the Iraqi army, a senior Kurdish military official said, despite calls on both sides for dialogue to calm the situation. Picture taken November 24, 2012. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari (IRAQ - Tags: CONFLICT POLITICS MILITARY) - RTR3AUX2

Iraqi Kurdish Forces Help Defend Baghdad

The increase of terrorist bombings in Baghdad has been a catalyst for more consultation between Iraqi federal and Iraqi Kurdish peshmerga forces.

An aerial view of the city of Arbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdistan region, about 350 km (217 miles) north of Baghdad, March 19, 2013. Picture taken March 19, 2013. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari (IRAQ - Tags: CITYSCAPE) - RTR3F8BQ

Iraqi Kurdistan’s Silent Revolution

The KRG is becoming more, not less, dependent upon Baghdad to finance its social welfare programs through oil rents.