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Iraq

October 16, 2026

Baghdad 11:52 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

Self-Immolation Continues Among Iraqi Kurdish Women

Despite improvements in the condition of women under the Kurdistan Regional Government, cases of self-burning by Iraqi Kurdish women still take place.

A Syrian refugee, who fled the violence in Syria, is seen at the Domiz refugee camp in the northern Iraqi of province Dohuk July 25, 2012. The number of refugees that have fled to Iraq's Kurdistan region is in excess of 11,000 refugees, and they are settled in the region's three provinces: Arbil, Dohuk and Sulaimaniya. As for the Domiz refugee camp, the number of refugee families reached 696 families, equivalent to 2,800 people, but on the other side of the camp, where young refugees are, the number of refu

Iraqi Kurdistan Region Struggles To Cope With Syrian Refugees

Syrian refugees have been flowing into the Iraqi Kurdistan region, making the need for international assistance more pressing than ever.

Detainees suspected of being part of an armed cell with links to al Qaeda are shown to the media during a news conference at the Defence Ministry in Baghdad June 1, 2013. The four men are accused of planning to make chemical weapons like nerve and mustard gas, according to the ministry. REUTERS/Stringer (IRAQ - Tags: CIVIL UNREST CRIME LAW POLITICS) - RTX10827

Al-Qaeda Divides Over Syria, Iraq

As al-Qaeda and its various branches take advantage of instability throughout the Middle East, Jabhat al-Nusra in Syria and the Islamic State of Iraq have seen rifts between themselves recently.

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) - RTR3F8BR

Hotel Construction Explodes In Erbil To Keep Up With Tourism

Having enjoyed relative stability since Saddam Hussein's fall in 2003, Iraqi Kurdistan region capital Erbil is growing rapidly as it becomes more attractive to tourists and foreign investors.

Kurdish 'Arab Idol' Contestant Promotes Iraqi Kurdistan

Though Arab contestants have traditionally dominated "Arab Idol," the Arab world’s version of "Pop Idol," Kurdish singer Parwas Hussein has introduced the Kurdish language and culture to Arab viewers.

AKRA, Iraq: Iraqi Kurds climb a mountain decorated with a huge Kurdish flag as they celebrate New Year or Newroz, 21 March 2006 in the northern town of Akra. Iraq's predominantly Kurdish northern provinces celebrated New Year or Newroz with dancing and singing amid tight security as violence wracked the rest of the country. But traditional wishes for a happy new year took on additional urgency on the third anniversary of the US-led invasion of Iraq with the country teetering on the edge of civil war.

Iraqi Kurdistan Struggles With Environmental Policies

Facing drought, sandstorms and other factors contributing to the deterioration of its natural environment, the Iraqi Kurdistan Region is working to document and protect its ecosystem.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki (L) and Iraqi Kurdish President Masoud Barzani (R) speak to each other during a joint news conference in Arbil, about 350 km (220 miles) north of Baghdad June 9, 2013. Maliki visited the Kurdistan region on Sunday for the first time in more than two years, in an attempt to resolve a long-running dispute over oil and land that has strained Iraq's unity to the limit. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX10HC4

Are Cross-Sectarian Alliances Possible in Iraq?

Following months of escalating sectarian tension across Iraq, both popular and political, some are beginning to explore the viability of forging political alliances that transcend sectarian divisions.

Iraqi workers walk through the al-Doura refinery in Baghdad April 9, 2012. OPEC is seeking a balance in world oil prices, but political instability rather than production issues are affecting the market price, Iraqi Oil Minister Abdul Kareem Luaibi said on Monday. REUTERS/Mohammed Ameen (IRAQ - Tags: ENERGY POLITICS) - RTR30IVL

Iraq Looks to Foreign Investment To Boost Oil Capacity

Technip, a French company, has been awarded a major refining contract in Iraq.

A show of hands takes place during the first session of the Iraqi Kurdish parliament in the northern Kurdish capital of Arbil, 350 kms from Baghdad, on September 08, 2009. A new parliament and president for autonomous Iraqi Kurdish region was voted into place on July 25th with the first full session taking place today. AFP PHOTO/SAFIN HAMED (Photo credit should read SAFIN HAMED/AFP/Getty Images)

Iraqi Kurdish Parties Agree On Controversial Information Law

After three years of discussion, the various blocs in the Kurdistan Regional Government have reached a consensus on military, security, political and personal exceptions to the law protecting free access to information.

(L-R) Ammar al-Hakim, leader of the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council (ISCI), Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, Kurdish regional President Masoud Barzani and Iraq's Shi'ite Vice President Adel Abdul-Mahdi attend a meeting in Baghdad November 9, 2010. REUTERS/Iraqi Government/Handout (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS) FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS - RTX

Expectations Are High For Maliki-Barzani Summit in Erbil

Sunday's planned meeting between Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and Kurdistan Region President Massoud Barzani seems to show the two governments' conflict is quieting down.

Iraqi Muslim worshippers pray during a joint Sunni-Shi'ite Friday prayer at the Martyrs Monument in Baghdad May 24, 2013. Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has called to establish unified Friday prayers between Sunnis and Shi'ites in Baghdad, after attacks on Sunni and Shi'ite mosques in recent weeks. REUTERS/Thaier al-Sudani (IRAQ - Tags: RELIGION CIVIL UNREST) - RTXZZ1S

Iraqi Interfaith Council Tries to Protect Minorities

The Iraqi Council for Interfaith Dialogue has sought to unite people around protection of minorities.

Laboratory equipment and chemicals are seen on display during a news conference at the Defence Ministry in Baghdad June 1, 2013. The materials were confiscated from four men who have been arrested, and are accused of planning to make chemical weapons like nerve and mustard gas, according to the ministry. REUTERS/Stringer (IRAQ - Tags: CIVIL UNREST CRIME LAW) - RTX10825

Does Al-Qaeda in Iraq Have Chemical Weapons?

Iraq's Defense Ministry says al-Qaeda was caught producing chemical weapons; some believe the claim was made to distract from authorities’ mismanagement of the security situation.