Iran iraq

US withdrawal from Iraq will be watched closely by Iran-backed militias, Kurds - analysis

Iranian-backed militias and Iran have already targeted the Kurdistan region with more than 1,000 drone and missile attacks since February 2026, and it will be vulnerable if the US withdraws.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Damaged buildings after, what the security sources say, a drone struck an arms depot in an attack on the headquarters of an Iranian Kurdish opposition group in which two fighters were wounded, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in the town of Dekala in Iraq's Kurdistan region March 4, 2026.
A member of the Kurdistan Free Life Party, known as PJAK, stands inside a tunnel at a site near the Iraqi border with Iran, on the outskirts of Penjwen, in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region, Iraq, March 24, 2026.

Iranian attacks on Iraqi Kurdistan aim to transform Iraq into buffer zone, spread war - analysis

Iran’s attacks seek to strike an area of Iraq that the regime assumes is not well protected, in a push to move fighting outside Iran and avoid insurrections inside.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Mourners attend the funeral of Haider al-Moussawi, head of the security unit in the Shi'ite armed group Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada, and senior Hezbollah figure Abu Ali Khalil, who were killed in an Israeli airstrike on Tehran, amid the Iran-Israel conflict, in Baghdad, Iraq, June 22, 2025.

Iraqi militias raise new conditions for disarmament, Iraq takes 'wait-and-see' approach - analysis

If the groups refuse to disarm, Iraq will take a wait-and-see approach, with many saying that they already gave up weapons to the PMF, while also being part of these forces.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Youths ride vehicles while waving flags of Iraq, Iran, Lebanon and Hezbollah in Baghdad on June 15, 2026, during celebrations following the announcement of a deal to end the war between Iran and the US.

Iraq sentences militia member for kidnapping American journalist, in rare move against Iran proxies

“Iraq's Central Criminal Court has sentenced Amir Rahim Jabar Lazim to 15 years in prison under the Anti-Terrorism Law," read the announcement shared by the victim, journalist Shelly Kittelson.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN

Ebrahim Raisi signaled Iranian revolution's demise

The deceased Iranian president epitomized the Khomeini Revolution’s successes, adventures, and decay.

MAY 24, 2024ByAMOTZ ASA-EL
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi gestures during a meeting with Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro at the Miraflores Palace, in Caracas, Venezuela June 12, 2023.

Enduring aggression: Iran's proxy militias' relentless offensive

The latest group to claim to attack Israel is in Iraq, however it is unclear if these "attacks" go beyond mere claims and whether Iran is putting out propaganda to keep up the pressure on Israel.

MAY 5, 2024BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
HEZBOLLAH MEMBERS hold flags during a rally marking the annual Hezbollah Martyrs’ Day, in Beirut’s southern suburbs, last month

Iraq's struggle: divided between the US coalition and becoming an Iranian proxy-state

Iraq needs a strong ally like the US to face a potential ISIS rebirth. However, the government is trying to balance its ties with both the US and Iran by allowing Iran to back Shia militias there.

APRIL 15, 2024ByGIORGIA VALENTE/THE MEDIA LINE
US Army soldiers keep watch on the US embassy compound in Baghdad, Iraq January 1, 2020

Iran consistently violates diplomatic protection and international law - opinion

To deter future Israeli attacks, Iran would need to retaliate directly against Israel. However, such action could provoke a severe response from the IDF.

APRIL 11, 2024ByFARHAD REZAEI
IRAN’S AMBASSADOR to the UN Zahra Ershadi speaks at a Security Council meeting on threats to international peace and security, on April 2, the day after an airstrike destroyed the Iranian Consulate in Damascus.

Iran-backed Iraqi terrorists claim to target Israeli power plant

Iranian media claims that Iraqi group targeted a power plan near Tel Aviv with a drone.

MARCH 21, 2024BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Protest in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, in Baghdad

Iraq’s ruling coalition may call for early elections

A poll by the nongovernmental Iraq Statistics Organization found Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ Al Sudani to have an approval rate of 51%, the highest of any Iraqi official. 

MARCH 10, 2024ByHUDHAIFA EBRAHIM/THE MEDIA LINE
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Al Sudani in Munich, Germany, on February 18 2023.

Target: Kataib Hezbollah - why the latest US airstrike is a gamechanger

The killing of an Iranian-backed militia leader in Iraq will likely galvanize Iran’s allies in the country to try to expel the US.

FEBRUARY 8, 2024BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
A member of Hashd al-Shaabi (paramilitary forces) holds a flag of Kataib Hezbollah militia group during a protest to condemn air strikes on their bases, outside the main gate of the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq December 31, 2019.

The Iran-Israel war by proxy - opinion

There is undoubtedly a clear conflict between, on one side, Iran and its proxies, and on the other, the US and Israel.

FEBRUARY 1, 2024BySALEM ALKETBI
Iran flag and Israel flag

Does Iran expect US retaliation for drone killing in Jordan? - analysis

Iran’s calculations are based on years in which Iran has carried out attacks around the region and has never faced any retaliation.

JANUARY 30, 2024BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei looks on during a meeting at the IRGC Aerospace Force achievements exhibition in Tehran, Iran November 19, 2023

Pakistan recalls ambassador from Iran, bars Iranian envoy from returning

The foreign ministry said Iran's strike on targets in Pakistani terrritory was an unprovoked and blatant breach of Pakistan's sovereignty and was "unacceptable."

JANUARY 17, 2024ByREUTERS
Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi speak during a Joint Inauguration of the Polan-Gabd Electricity Transmission Line, at Mand-Pishin border crossing point, in Pishin, Pakistan May 18, 2023.