Analysis After US exit, Iran gains space in Iraq and a harder balancing act For Iran, the easier part may have been getting Washington out, but it may now have to struggle turning the absence into durable influence and reviving its allied militias without provoking instability. By A correspondent in Tehran In Tehran, reporting on politics
Trump’s integration policies build on Gulf, Turkey ties and Syria success Iran’s influence, and the potential for renewed conflict, complicate progress in Iraq. Iraq
Newsletter: Security What the US withdrawal means for Iraq The US withdrawal from Iraq shifts responsibility for the country’s security to Baghdad as Iran-backed militias remain outside the government’s full control. By Jared Szuba In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military
Iraq announces Iran flights to resume: What to know Iraqis protested the latest move aimed at pressuring Iran and an Iran-backed militia vowed a response if the flights do not come back. Iraq
Analysis Can Turkey’s Bashiqa withdrawal pave the way for deeper Iraq ties? By Barin Kayaoglu In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security
Analysis How militias in Anbar could complicate Iraq’s energy ambitions By Shelly Kittleson In Baghdad, reporting on Iraqi politics
Newsletter: Daily Briefing Xi, Trump set to talk Iran By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Sadr calls for majority government, 'liquidation' of Iraqi militias Sadr calls for forming majority government as the Iraqi President Barham Salih hosted a meeting with the prime minister and the judiciary head to discuss the current political deadlock and present initiatives for it. Iraq
Iraqi Kurdistan brings home migrants trapped at Belarus-Poland border The Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq said its constituents were lured into emigrating by criminal smugglers. Iraq
Attack on Syrian prison holding Iraqi Islamic State captives raises concerns Local forces backed by coalition air support reportedly prevented an attack on a prison housing thousands of Islamic State operatives in northeastern Syria under Kurdish-led administration. Iraq
Iraq to repatriate citizens stranded at Belarus border The Iraqi announcement came as the European Union said it would step up sanctions on the Belarusian government and some airlines. Iraq
Airlines suspend Belarus-bound travel for Middle East migrants Turkish Airlines and Iraqi Airlines restricting flights to Minsk for citizens of Iraq, Syria and Yemen. Turkey
Thousands of Iraqi, Syrian refugees shiver at Belarus-Poland border Iraqi Yazidis, Syrian Kurds and others are trapped in miserable conditions on the border, caught in a dispute between Belarus and the European Union. Iraq
Iraq expands border crossings with Saudi Arabia to boost trade In the context of strengthening economic relations, Iraq and Saudi Arabia are diversifying their trade outlets, intending to increase trade exchange to more than $3 billion annually. Iraq
Iraq's Sadrist movement in talks on forming government At a time when the Sadrist movement is seeking understandings with Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish parties to form a government, the forces rejecting the results of the elections are taking to the streets in protest against any Cabinet formation talks before the results issue is resolved. Iraq
Russia, Turkey condemn assassination attempt on Iraqi prime minister Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi survived a drone attack on his Baghdad residence. Iraq
Assassination attempt against Iraqi PM sparks fear of 'return to chaos' A drone attack on the residence of the Iraqi prime minister has raised the specter of continuing violence by nonstate actors in the country after elections in which Iran-linked armed groups lost dozens of parliamentary seats. Iraq
Islamic State attack sparks sectarian bloodletting in Iraq’s Diyala An Islamic State attack has triggered a crescendo of acts of violence against and displacement of Sunnis in Iraq’s Diyala province, which borders Iran and has long suffered the presence of cells operating in its dense orchards and parts of the Hamrin Mountains. Iraq
Militants get death sentences for killing two Iraqi journalists The Iraqi criminal court sentenced two militiamen affiliated with Kataib Hezbollah to death for assassinating two journalists in Basra in January 2020. Iraq