Iraq

Iraq's PM arrives in Washington as US presses Baghdad on Iran-backed militias - analysis

Iraq is already a kind of frontline between the US and Iran. After the US and Israel began strikes on Iran on February 28, the Iranians operationalized militias in Iraq.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Ali al-Zaidi speaks during a parliamentary session to vote in a new government headed by Ali al-Zaidi as prime minister, at the parliament headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq, May 14, 2026.
Missiles produced by Iran's armed forces are displayed near a row of Iranian flags during commemorations to mark the anniversary of the 1979 Iranian Revolution on February 11, 2026 in Tehran, Iran.

Iran fires three ballistic missiles at US base in Kuwait - report

Iran claimed to have destroyed American High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) batteries in Kuwait, according to the Iran-run Fars News Agency.

|ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF, JONAH DAVIDOV
Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Ali al-Zaidi speaks during a parliamentary session to vote in a new government headed by Ali al-Zaidi as prime minister, at the parliament headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq, May 14, 2026.

Iraqi prime minister to visit Washington on Monday, oil and gas deals expected

"The agreements to be signed will include several memorandums of understanding in the oil and gas sector as Iraq prepares to bring in various US companies," a government spokesperson said.

|ByREUTERS
Image Reboot: A female fighter from from the Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK) trains at a base near Erbil, Iraq, in Feb.

Can Kurdistan follow Israel's lead to become the Middle East's next Start-Up Nation? - analysis

Kurdistan does not need to copy Israel, but it can learn from its journey from a small and politically uncertain environment to a start-up and tech superpower.

|ByYOSSI HURST

German military to leave base in Erbil, northern Iraq by September, Spiegel reports

German troops are set to withdraw from Erbil, Iraq, by the end of September following a broader effort to reduce Germany's Middle East presence due to the Iran war.

JULY 10, 2026ByREUTERS
German Bundeswehr troops march during a public ceremony to mark the expansion of Germany's Lithuania military commitment on February 4, 2026.

Coffin of Iran's slain supreme leader Khamenei arrives in Iraqi holy city for funeral processions

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi and senior Iraqi officials received the coffin at Najaf International Airport ahead of funeral ceremonies and a mass public procession, state TV reported.

JULY 8, 2026ByREUTERS
A vehicle carrying the coffin of Iran's slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei makes its way as people attend Khamenei's funeral procession, in Najaf, Iraq, July 8, 2026

What a night at the Tel Aviv opera reveals about Israel's abnormal reality - opinion

Tel Aviv’s Nabucco gala becomes a surreal night of opera, sirens, and ancient prophecy colliding with present-day missile threats.

JULY 5, 2026ByPAMELA PELED
Verdi's Glorious ‘Nabucco’ opera is based on Jeremiah’s thundering prophecy.

The Gulf wants to end attacks from Iraq, but will it influence Baghdad before Iran does? - analysis

Tehran's more recent expansion of attacks toward the Gulf shows a broader Iranian strategy and proves how Iran made Iraq a frontline.

JULY 5, 2026BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, US President Donald Trump, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman and Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa attend a group photo session with Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) leaders in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, May 14, 2025.

Voices from the Arab press: Handing the Strait of Hormuz to Iran and the Gulf

A weekly selection of opinions and analyses from the Arab media around the world.

JULY 5, 2026ByTHE MEDIA LINE
Strait pf Hormuz: Iranian policeman?

Iraq, Turkey discuss protocol to keep oil exports flowing, Iraqi foreign ministry says

Iraq and Turkey are expected to sign an executive protocol to ensure the continuation of Iraqi oil exports.

JULY 3, 2026ByREUTERS, JERUSALEM POST STAFF
TURKEY-IRAQ-KURDS-MILITARY-DRILL A photographer takes pictures as soldiers stand next to tanks bearing Turkish and Iraqi flags during a joint military exercise near the Turkish-Iraqi border at Silopi district in Sirnak on September 26, 2017.

US resumes transfer of American currency to Iraq after Iran-related suspension - report

The report cited an Iraqi Kurdish official who attributed the measures as a response to the smuggling of US dollars by Iran-backed Iraqi militias.

JULY 2, 2026ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
An American $100 dollar bill.

Is a new insurgency brewing? Kurdish rebels clash with IRGC in major border escalation - analysis

Tasnim News, which is an IRGC-affiliated network, reported that “two members of Iran’s IRGC were killed and two others were injured in an ‘armed terrorist attack.'"

JUNE 30, 2026BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Kurdish fighters from the People's Protection Units (YPG) run across a street in Raqqa, Syria, July 3, 2017.

Iraq launches sweeping anti-corruption crackdown, detains dozens of officials

Reports indicate that one Iraqi member of parliament, Alia Nassif, was found with some $15 million in cash in her house.

JUNE 30, 2026BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Ali al-Zaidi speaks during a parliamentary session to vote in a new government headed by Ali al-Zaidi as prime minister, at the parliament headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq, May 14, 2026.

Katz's position on Mossad's Kurds vs Iranian regime plan unclear after conflicting statements

Trump vetoed a Mossad plan to support Kurdish forces against Iran, fueling debate over which Israeli and US officials backed the proposal.

JUNE 29, 2026ByYONAH JEREMY BOB
Iranian Kurdish fighters from the Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK) take part in a training session at a base on the outskirts of Erbil, Iraq February 12, 2026.