Iranian-backed militias in Iraq may be seeking to delay the government’s plan to disarm them. “A senior Iraqi official pushed back a September 30 deadline for pro-Iran factions to hand over their weapons,...
Basra, Iraq’s oil export hub perched on the Persian Gulf, is busier than it has been since conflict between the United States and Iran began in February. According to Bloomberg, satellite imagery...
Iraq’s new prime minister, Ali al-Zaidi, appears to be trying to reign in the Iranian-backed militias that have spread terror and disunion in his country. But a recent arrest may point to the limits...
There was widespread condemnation on August 17 and 18 of an Iranian drone attack on the office of Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister Masrour Barzani. Early on August 17, two drones...
Iraq relies on oil revenue for over 90 percent of its budget. With exports hovering at around half of the usual 3.4 million barrels per day (bpd) that were exported before Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz,...
Arabs who remain at war with Israel routinely blame their endless conflict on the Jewish state, pointing to the Gaza war, Benjamin Netanyahu’s leadership, and far-right ministers such as Itamar Ben-Gvir...
There is an easy way to read Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s decision to host Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al Zaidi in Ankara on July 28, and to call the visit “historic”: as an energy...
Iraq finds itself under growing pressure from regional countries and the US to rein in Iranian-backed Iraqi militias. The latest pressure from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Jordan comes as Ahmad...
Baghdad’s failure to address drone attacks from Iran-backed Iraqi militias is forcing other countries to act. American and Saudi forces, in a first for the ongoing war with Iran, launched joint...
US Central Command (CENTCOM) and Saudi Arabia’s Armed Forces carried out strikes on Iranian-backed militias in Iraq on the evening of July 28 after several days of escalating attacks by...
Iran increased attacks on the Kurdistan Region of northern Iraq in mid-July as the US continued to carry out renewed airstrikes on Iran. By July 2, the US had conducted 10...
In recent weeks, Syria and Iraq have positioned themselves to be key players in a new Middle Eastern order. Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi was in Washington to meet U.S. President Donald Trump...
As Iran’s once-expanding “Shia Crescent” of influence across Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen wanes, a new American-led regional order is emerging. Ahead of his first visit to the White House, Lebanese...
On July 15, Iraq’s Ministry of Finance circulated a banking directive instructing ministries, state entities, and financial institutions to implement recent US Treasury Department sanctions...
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al Zaidi met with US President Donald Trump on July 14 as part of his multi-day trip to Washington. It is Zaidi’s first trip to the United States after being sworn...
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, only two months into his term, has a busy month of foreign engagements. In early July, he received the body of slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei which was visiting Iraq’s...
Iraq launched a series of raids targeting corrupt politicians and officials on June 28. “Elite Counter Terrorism Service units raided homes inside Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone...
Iraq is working to shore up the economic stability and security of the Kurdistan Region in the wake of months of drone and missile attacks. More than 800 attacks, many assumed to have originated...
Amid a tense regional situation, Iraq’s new government is engaged in a high-stakes balancing act. Tom Barrack, the U.S. special presidential envoy for Iraq and Syria, met with Iraq’s new prime minister,...
US Envoy to Iraq and Syria Tom Barrack met with Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al Zaidi on June 15 to discuss strengthening ties between Baghdad and Washington. The meeting comes as the US continues...