Iran iraq

Kataib Hezbollah calls on supporters to prepare for conflict with Israel

The statement is the latest example of how Iranian-backed militias in Iraq are continuing to threaten Israel, the US, and the region.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Reported footage of Iranian security forces suppressing the Iranian protests
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani (C) inspects a guard of honour during the Army Day celebrations, marking the 105th anniversary of the founding of Iraqi army, at Military College in Baghdad on January 6, 2026.

US urges Iraq to limit Iranian influence as new government forms

The discussion centered on Iraq accepting up to 7,000 ISIS detainees from Syria, a move that could spark controversy within the country.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Members of the Popular Mobilization Forces stand guard at a military base near the Iraqi-Syrian border in Al-Qaim, west of Iraq on January 23, 2026.

Baghdad has no reason to send forces to Iran amid protests, Iraqi scholar tells 'Post'

According to some media outlets, including Iran International, thousands of Iraqi militiamen have already crossed into Iran to help Tehran suppress the ongoing protests.

|BySUZAN QUITAZ
Fighters from the Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK), an Iranian Kurdish opposition group, are pictured near the border with Iran in Iraq's Kurdistan Region, in the outskirts of Sulaimaniya, Iraq, June 21, 2025.

Armed Kurdish groups sought to cross into Iran from Iraq, sources say

Turkey, which deems Kurdish militants in northern Iraq terrorists, has warned in recent days that any foreign intervention in Iran would escalate regional crises.

|ByREUTERS

‘The Americans are gone’: Iran happy US left Taji base

The base has been attacked a dozen times by rockets fired by pro-Iranian militias and three coalition personnel were killed there in March.

AUGUST 30, 2020BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Iranian-backed militias stand on a tank close to the Syria-Iraq border

Are Iranian-backed groups threatening UN in Iraq?

In the past Iranian-backed militias have threatened demonstrators, civil society activists and even the prime minister.

JULY 29, 2020BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
An aerial view shows Mandali border crossing between Iraq and Iran, in Mandali, Iraq July 11, 2020

Murder of Iraqi commentator al-Hashimi is a blow for the region - analysis

In Iraq, media and commentators are still vulnerable to the language of the bullet rather than the language of debate.

JULY 7, 2020BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
A demonstrator carries an Iraqi flag as he walks near burning tires blocking a road during ongoing anti-government protests, in Baghdad, Iraq January 19, 2020.

Prominent Iraqi government advisor Husham al-Hashemi shot dead in Baghdad

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Hashemi's killing.

JULY 7, 2020ByREUTERS
Iraqi security forces gather in a street, during a curfew imposed to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Baghdad, Iraq

What sort of man is Iraq’s new prime minister?

Everything about Kadhimi’s past suggests a man imbued with generous humanitarian instincts, an upholder of social justice, utterly opposed to repressive dictatorship.

JUNE 18, 2020ByNEVILLE TELLER
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi in an official photograph in 2020 provided by The Media Office of the Prime Minister of Iraq

A rift emerges among pro-Iranian militias in Iraq

Different units are increasingly divided between those who want to play a role in Iran’s regional strategy and those who want to be a more local Iraqi force.

APRIL 29, 2020BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Iraqi security forces gather in a street, during a curfew imposed to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Baghdad, Iraq

Iran's aspirations in the region: The crossroads of uncertainty

Will Iran try to cement its role in a circle of Iraqi decision-makers, or will we witness the beginning of the end of Iran’s greater regional aspirations?

FEBRUARY 23, 2020ByETHAN SHEINKER
A model of Simorgh satellite-carrier rocket during a ceremony marking the 37th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution, in Tehran, Iran, February 11, 2016

Iranian-backed militias play political party by day, fighters by night

The militias are playing a dangerous game as they try to edge the US out of Iraq without inviting retaliation measures.

JANUARY 27, 2020BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
A headquarters building of Popular Mobilization Forces (Hashd al-Shaabi) burns after being torched by demonstrators during ongoing anti-government protests, in Nassiriya, Iraq January 5, 2020

Thousands gather in Baghdad to mourn Soleimani

The US Embassy in Baghdad urged American citizens to leave Iraq following the strike at Baghdad airport that killed Soleimani.

JANUARY 4, 2020ByREUTERS
FILE PHOTO: Iranian demonstrators react during a protest against the killing of the Iranian Major-General Qassem Soleimani, head of the elite Quds Force, and Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, who were killed in an air strike at Baghdad airport, in front of United Nations office in Tehra

Iran in Iraq

In Iraq, the Iranian regime has been active in supporting Shi’ite militias that are part of the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU).

DECEMBER 27, 2019ByJPOST EDITORIAL
QAIS AL-KHAZALI, leader of the Iran-supported force Asaib Ahl al-Haq, speaks during a celebration of final victory over Islamic State, at the Wadi al-Salam cemetery in Najaf, Iraq.