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Iraq

August 25, 2026

Baghdad 6:50 pm

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Oil falls 1.8% as traders await 'toughest' sanctions on Iran

Traders are awaiting details about new US measures sure to further disrupt Iranian oil flows.

Zaidi

Iraq’s Zaidi doubles down on militia disarmament, boosting oil exports

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi made the comments amid Hormuz-related export struggles and a nearing deadline for armed groups to disarm.

Masrour Barzani, Prime Minister of the Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government, gives a press conference in the autonomous region's capital Arbil on June 25, 2025.

Interview

Barzani calls for enhanced air defense for Kurdistan Region to counter drone attacks

Iraqi Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani backs US-led regional economic integration efforts and lauds US partnership in an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor.

Masrour Barzani

Masrour Barzani

KRG Prime Minister

Latest News

Exclusive

Saudi Arabia wants Iran-backed militia 'heads to roll' in Iraq amid talks with Tehran

AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP via Getty Images

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Explainer

Iraq seeks special Hormuz access from Iran in scramble to keep oil flowing

AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP via Getty Images

Iran’s Ghalibaf makes high-level visit to Iraq ahead of disarmament deadline

Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf speaks during a press conference at the site where Qasem Soleimani, commander of the Quds Force of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, was killed by a US airstrike in 2020 near the airport upon his arrival in Baghdad, on Aug. 19, 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

Men count wads of Iraqi dinars using money counting machines at a currency exchange shop 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)

Iraq Central Bank Boosts Gold Reserves

The Iraqi Central Bank has adopted a policy of buying gold for its central reserve at a time when gold prices are at an all-time high, writes Omar al-Shaher.

Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr speaks during a news conference in Najaf, some160 km (100 miles) south of Baghdad, January 1, 2013. Moqtada al-Sadr, head of a powerful Shi'ite movement in Iraq voiced his support for Sunni anti-government protesters, and warned of an "Iraqi Spring". REUTERS/Stringer (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS RELIGION)

Al-Monitor Launches Iraq Pulse

Al-Monitor this week launched the Iraq Pulse, featuring original reporting and commentary from prominent reporters and analysts inside Iraq.

Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr (C) takes part in Friday prayers participated by Sunni and Shi'ite Muslim worshippers in a gesture of unity at the Abdul Qadir Gilani Mosque in Baghdad January 4, 2013. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani (IRAQ - Tags: RELIGION)

Sadr Allies With Sunnis in Challenge To Maliki

Muqtada Sadr has allied with Sunnis opposed to Prime Minister Maliki in order to help oust him from power, writes Mushreq Abbas.

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)

Iraqi Kurds Fear Rise of Military Threat From Baghdad

As tensions between Baghdad and Erbil escalate, Abdel Hamid Zibari argues that Kurdish fears are not exaggerated and that the armament of Iraqi forces poses a serious threat to the Kurdish region.

Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki (L) stands next to Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr during a news conference in Najaf, 160 km (100 miles) south of Baghdad October 18, 2006. Maliki travelled to the holy city of Najaf on Wednesday and met Sadr and Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the leading Shi'ite cleric in Iraq. REUTERS/AliAbu Shish (IRAQ)

Sadr and Maliki Battle Over Iraqi Oil

Ali Abel Sadah examines the complex relationship between Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and Muqtada al-Sadr.

People are seen as the sun sets over a beach in the Aqaba Gulf on the Red Sea, south of Amman November 25, 2011. Picture taken November 25, 2011. REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed (JORDAN - Tags: SOCIETY)

Iraqi Pipeline to Aqaba Sparks Memories of Kirkuk-Haifa Line

The oil pipeline to be constructed between Baghdad and Aqaba raises fond memories among Israelis of the Mandate-era Kirkuk-Haifa oil pipeline, a time that many would be happy to resurrect, writes Jacky Hugi.

An Iraqi worker with the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) load ballot boxes into the back of a truck for transport to a storage place, after the recounting process in Baghdad May 14, 2010. A recount of 2.5 million votes cast in Baghdad in Iraq's March 7 election has been completed and no fraud was found, an Iraqi election official said on Friday. REUTERS/Mohammed Ameen (IRAQ - Tags: ELECTIONS POLITICS)

Iraqi Parties to Seek Revenge In Provincial Elections

Saleem Al-Hasani writes that the upcoming provincial elections will be seen as an opportunity for settling scores among Iraq's political parties.

Iraqi Sunni Muslims wave Iraqi national flags during an anti-government demonstration in Falluja, 50 km (30 miles) west of Baghdad, December 28, 2012. Tens of thousands of protesters from Iraq's Sunni Muslim minority poured onto the streets after Friday prayers in a show of force against Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, keeping up a week-old blockade of a highway. Around 60,000 people blocked the main road through the city of Falluja, setting fire to the Iranian flag and shouting "out, out Iran! Baghd

Balance Key in Iran, Iraq Ties

The history of Iraq and Iran goes back centuries, but looking at their relationship today through just that lens would be a mistake, argues Mustafa al-Kadhimi.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki (C) leaves after an Arab economy, finance and trade ministers meeting as part of the Arab League Summit in Baghdad March 27, 2012. The Arab leaders will meet on March 29 in Baghdad for the 23rd Arab League Summit. REUTERS/Ali Haider/Pool (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS)

Iraq's Central Bank a Political Battleground

In the midst of ongoing political disputes within Iraq, the country’s central bank is facing a number of problems, writes Omar al-Shaher.