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Iraq

October 16, 2026

Baghdad 5:17 pm

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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

An employee of the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) sits on ballot boxes at a tally center in Baghdad April 23, 2013.Voter participation in Iraq's provincial election on Saturday was 50 percent of eligible voters, the country's electoral authorities said after poll stations closed. Election officials said including results from a special vote a week earlier for members of the armed forces, total participation would be more than 51 percent. REUTERS/Mohammed Ameen (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS)

Low Turnout in Iraqi Elections

As most of Iraq’s provinces headed to the polls, low voter turnout, technical errors and some incidents of violence served as reminders of the issues still plaguing Iraqi society, writes Ali Abel Sadah.

A Kurdish boy walks in the village of Sheladiz near the Iraqi-Turkish borders February 27, 2008. Picture taken February 27, 2008. REUTERS/Ceerwan Aziz (IRAQ) - RTR1XP6H

Child-Protection Laws On Table in Iraqi Kurdistan

An innovative law protecting the rights of children and the disabled in Iraqi Kurdistan is to be considered by the regional government, reports Abdel Hamid Zebari.

Members from peace groups gather around a peace sign formed by lighted candles, remembering the tenth anniversary of the Iraq War at Plaza de Catalunya, central Barcelona March 20, 2013. REUTERS/Gustau Nacarino (SPAIN - Tags: CIVIL UNREST) - RTR3F8PV

Iraq's Legislative Crisis

As political and social divisions deepen throughout Iraqi society, Mustafa al-Kadhimi calls attention to the legislative negligence that has allowed this worrying crisis to grow.

Kurdish President Massoud Barzani (R) and Iraqi President Jalal Talabani talk during an event to mark the official start of oil exports from the autonomous region of Kurdistan, in the northern Kurdish city of Arbil June 1, 2009. Iraq's Kurdistan region said on Monday it hoped to be producing 1 million barrels per day of oil within the next 2-3 years, despite discord with the Arab-led government in Baghdad over Iraq's oil wealth. REUTERS/Safin Hamed/Pool (IRAQ CONFLICT ENERGY BUSINESS POLITICS) - RTR245LU

President's Absence Complicates Iraqi Politics

As Iraqi President Jalal Talabani continues to undergo treatment in Berlin, Iraqi leaders are indecisive on how to proceed in his absence, writes Ali Abel Sadah.

A man works at a construction site in Iraq's northern province of Arbil September 25, 2010. While most Iraqis struggle under the detritus of a seven-year war, the people of Arbil in Iraqi Kurdistan can frolic in a public pool, ride an elevated cable car over freshly planted parkland or escape stifling heat in a new ice skating hall. The new luxuries of Iraq's northern Kurdish region seem a world apart from the dust and grit of Baghdad, where suicide bombers are an everyday fear, dirt-gray blast walls domina

Iraqi Kurdistan Open To Arab Investment

New investment projects in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq have led to a strengthening of ties with Arab states, writes Abdel Hamid Zebari.

A client counts his money at Al-Rafidain bank in BaghdadJune 21, 2009. Total bank deposits in February -- the latest figures available -- jumped by half to 36.6 trillion Iraqi dinars ($31 billion) from a year before, and loans surged 65 percent to 5.1 trillion dinars over the same period, central bank data show.
To match feature IRAQ/BANKS REUTERS/Bassim Shati (IRAQ CONFLICT BUSINESS) - RTR2559B

Currency Auctions by Iraq Bank Called Into Question

The Central Bank of Iraq’s practice of auctioning US dollars has come under fire amid suspicion that the practice leads to money laundering and the channeling of dollars to Iran, reports Omar al-Shaher.

Iraqi security forces wait in line to vote, outside a polling station in Basra, 420 km (261 miles) southeast of Baghdad April 13, 2013. Members of the Iraqi security forces head to polling stations on Saturday in Baghdad and other Iraqi provinces to cast their ballot in the 2013 provincial council election. REUTERS/Atef Hassan (IRAQ - Tags: ELECTIONS POLITICS MILITARY) - RTXYK1F

Voter Turnout Uncertain For Iraqi Provincial Elections

It is unclear what the turnout in the upcoming Iraqi provincial elections will be, with some predicting high voter turnout and others widespread apathy, writes Bushra Al Mudhafar.

Iraqi Sunni Muslims take part in an anti-government demonstration in Falluja, 50 km (31 miles) west of Baghdad April 12, 2013. Thousands of Sunni Muslims protested after Friday prayers in huge rallies against Shi'ite Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, demanding that he steps down. The poster (L) reads "Fallujah is spark of the resistance and spark of the revolution". REUTERS/Mohanned Faisal (IRAQ - Tags: CIVIL UNREST RELIGION POLITICS) - RTXYIVR

Maliki Threatens Political Rivals

As Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s opponents amplify their calls for a parliamentary hearing, he threatens to reveal which of them were involved in acts of terrorism, writes Mushreq Abbas.

Iraqi civil defence personnel and people gather at the site of a bomb attack in Baghdad's northwestern Kadhimiya district January 5, 2012. A set of explosions involving two car bombs in Kadhimiya killed at least 15 people and wounded 32, police and hospital sources said. Bomb attacks targeting Shi'ite Muslim areas of Iraq killed at least 67 people on Thursday, police and hospital sources said, ramping up fears of an increase in sectarian strife. REUTERS/Stringer (IRAQ - Tags: CONFLICT CIVIL UNREST CRIME LA

Iraq Pays $300 Million To Terror Victims

Since the fall of Saddam Hussein, violence in Iraq has produced innumerable victims in need of financial compensation, writes Omar al-Shaher.

Residents gather at the site of a car bomb attack in the Kamaliya district in Baghdad April 15, 2013. Car bombs and attacks on cities across Iraq, including two blasts at a checkpoint at Baghdad international airport, killed at least 20 people and wounded more than 200 on Monday, police said. The wave of attacks in Baghdad, Kirkuk, Tuz Khurmato and other towns to the north to south, came days before Iraqis vote in provincial elections that will test political stability more than a year after U.S. troops lef

Iraqi Provincial Elections Bring Wave of Violence, Assassination

Sunni candidates in the upcoming Iraqi elections are being targeted in a recent spate of assassinations, reports Ali Abel Sadah.

Masoud Barzani, president of Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, attends the opening of a conference on "Recognizing Kurdish Genocide" in Arbil, about 350 km (217 miles) north of Baghdad, March 14, 2013. REUTERS/Thaier al-Sudani (IRAQ - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS) - RTR3EZ32

Media War Begins Ahead of Iraqi Kurdistan Elections

A media war is taking place ahead of regional elections in Iraqi Kurdistan, writes Abdel Hamid Zebari.

Environmental protection police examine radioactive contaminated vehicles imported from Japan at Umm Qasr's port near Basra, 420 km (260 miles) southeast of Baghdad, November 16, 2011. Sixteen vehicles imported from Japan were found to be contaminated with radiation, Iraq's Ministry of Environment said on Wednesday. Picture taken November 16, 2011. REUTERS/Atef Hassan (IRAQ - Tags : - Tags: ENVIRONMENT DISASTER) - RTR2U4M9

Iraq Ports See Influx Of 'Mediocre Products'

The authority in charge of Iraq’s southern ports has increased inspections on imports after it was revealed that the ports have become a "warehouse for mediocre products," reports Omar al-Shaher.