Iraq - AL-Monitor: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

Iran cover image

Iraq

February 17, 2026

Baghdad 10:10 am

18°C

Former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki delivers a speech during a campaign rally for the State of Law Coalition ahead of the country's parliamentary elections in Baghdad on Nov. 7, 2025.

Analysis

Can Maliki overcome Trump opposition to reclaim Iraq’s PM post?

US President Donald Trump’s opposition to the former prime minister and reports of potential retribution toward Iraq are receiving pushback in the country, which is already suffering from political paralysis.

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

SDF commander in chief, Mazlum Kobane, meets with Nechirvan Barzani, the president of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, on Feb. 5, 2026.

Exclusive

100 non-Syrian Kurds return to PKK’s Qandil stronghold under SDF-Damascus deal

The transfer of non-Syrian PKK fighters to Iraq’s Qandil Mountains follows a US-brokered SDF-Damascus deal aimed at easing tensions and preserving Kurdish forces under national army oversight.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki speaks during a press conference on May 11, 2011, at the green zone area in Baghdad, Iraq.

Iraq’s Maliki rejects Trump criticism, vows to stay in PM race

Maliki refused to withdraw from the race, despite mounting pressure from the US, and expressed a desire for good relations with Iraq’s neighbors and Washington.

US President Donald Trump shakes hands with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a joint press conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, on Feb. 13, 2025.

How US-India trade deal could impact Mideast energy, trade routes

The United States and India struck a trade agreement on Monday that eases months of tension between the two countries and could influence Gulf oil flows and economic integration.

Latest News

Iraq's Shiite bloc holds talks with Kurds as deadlock on president, PM persists

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani meets the Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region, Masrour Barzani, in Erbil on Monday.

Iraqi militias claim volunteers readying to defend Iran from US: What to know

Men sign up to join the "martyrdom brigades" under the umbrella of Iraq's pro-Iran paramilitary group Hezbollah Brigades (Kataib Hezbollah), who called upon Iraqis to volunteer in fighting alongside Iran in the event of a full-scale war with the US and Israel, at a mosque in Baghdad on January 29, 2026. (Photo by AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

After Trump’s rebuke, can Maliki rebound in Iraq, or does Sudani become favorite?

(L to R) Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid; Qais al-Khazali, head of the "Asaib Ahl al-Haq"; one of the member factions of the Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Forces) paramilitaries; Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani; and former Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki attend an event commemorating the 21st anniversary of the group's creation at a hotel in Baghdad on May 3, 2024.

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

‘Very bad choice’: Trump threatens to cut Iraq aid if Maliki returns as PM

Former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki leaves after casting his ballot at a polling station in Baghdad on Nov. 11, 2025 during Iraq's parliamentary elections.

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

Saudi and Iranian flags

Iraqi president confirms Baghdad hosted Saudi-Iranian talks 'more than once'

President Barham Salih said the first round of talks occurred in early April, which he described as 'important and significant.'

An Iraqi man rides his bicycle past a closed mosque in Baghdad on Feb. 19, 2021, as authorities reimposed partial lockdown measures until early March after detecting a new strain of the coronavirus.

Iraq announces 10-day lockdown amid virus surge

Iraq, which is struggling to vaccinate its population, recently topped 1 million coronavirus cases.

SABAH ARAR/AFP via Getty Images

Iraqi authorities nab Islamic State 'governor' of Fallujah

Abu Ali al-Jumaili's arrest comes as Kurdish-led forces captured another IS official across the border in Syria.

Nasiriyah protesters

Iraqi political parties woo celebrities for election campaign

Some of Iraq’s political parties seek to bring mass media celebrities on board for the upcoming legislative elections.

Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu delivers a speech during a press conference in Ankara April 22, 2019.

Turkey to establish new military base in Iraqi Kurdistan

Ankara has announced that Turkey will establish a military base in the mountainous area of Metina, near the Turkish border, in what critics consider a step toward controlling Iraqi Kurdistan.

Iraqi police protect Turkish embassy against protest

Turkish forces in fresh offensive against PKK in Iraqi Kurdistan

The latest Turkish military operation against the PKK in Iraqi Kurdistan comes at a time when Ankara finds itself increasingly under strain, both on the domestic front and in its frosty ties with Washington.

Women pose for a selfie after attending a performance by the Watar orchestral ensemble playing for the first time at the Spring Theater Hall, which was ravaged in the aftermath of the occupation by the Islamic State, Mosul, Iraq, April 8, 2021.

Mosul women fight Islamic State legacy with sports, arts events

Mosul women seek to erase their painful memories of IS by holding various activities for women.

AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP via Getty Images

Baghdad airport hit in latest Iraq rocket strike, no injuries

The strike follows a drone attack on a coalition site at Erbil Air Base last week.

Iraqis attend a conference gathering Shiite and Sunni tribal leaders and clerics on November 8, 2014, in the capital, Baghdad, to discuss support to Sunni tribes in their fight against the Islamist State (IS) in Anbar province, west of Baghdad.

Anbar tribes key to security, political backing ahead of Iraq's October vote

Following the introduction of a new electoral law and with many of the region’s population still looking more toward their tribes for protection than the central government, Iraq’s Sunni-dominant Anbar province is likely to be highly affected by tribal relations and figures in the October elections.

Alex Wong/Getty Images

No plans for full US withdrawal from Iraq, top general says

The United States may be leaving Afghanistan but troops will remain in Iraq for the foreseeable future, the CENTCOM commander told Congress.

HAIDAR MOHAMMED ALI/AFP via Getty Images

Iran welcomes Iraqi mediation with Gulf states

No clear results yet, said Tehran's ambassador in Baghdad after reports of Saudi-Iran dialogue.

In this handout provided by the EU Delegation in Vienna, Representatives of the European Union, Iran and others attend the Iran nuclear talks at the Grand Hotel on April 15, 2021, in Vienna, Austria.

Saudi Arabia, Iran held direct talks in bid to ease tensions

Talks between the two countries were organized by Iraq's Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi.