Iraq

Turkey to submit draft law allowing thousands of former PKK members to return, aims to end conflict

The draft law, some details of which surfaced last November, is focused on managing the return of PKK fighters and civilians from hideouts in northern Iraq, setting out how they will be processed.

|ByREUTERS
Fighters with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) walk for a disarmament ceremony marking a significant step toward ending the decades-long conflict between Turkey and the outlawed group, in the Qandil mountains, Iraq October 26, 2025.
Cars and coaches line up at al-Tanf crossing on the border between Iraq and Syria, some 300 km southeast of Damascus March 20, 2003. Border traffic remained normal after the start of a U.S.-led attack on Iraq at dawn on Thursday, despite fears that there would be an influx of refugees.

Syrian military raises alert level amid movements near Iraqi border

It also remained unclear whether the military movements had affected border crossings or civilian and commercial traffic between the two countries.  

|ByRIZIK ALABI/THE MEDIA LINE
US President Donald Trump shakes hands with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa during a bilateral meeting alongside the NATO leaders summit in Ankara, last month.

Trump’s Syria-Iraq pipeline plan aims to weaken Iran’s leverage - opinion

Trump is backing a revived Iraq-Syria oil pipeline to bypass the Strait of Hormuz and reshape Middle East energy.

|ByNEVILLE TELLER
Smoke billows near the oil facility in Mangaf, Kuwait, July 18, 2026, in this screen grab obtained from a social media video.

Iran attacks US base in Kuwait, vessel hit by projectile near Strait of Hormuz

The United Kingdom Maritime and Trade Operations (UKMTO) center said in a post on X/Twitter that a cargo vessel had been hit by an unknown projectile off the coast of Oman.

|ByESTHER DAVIS, AMICHAI STEIN

Iraq forced to balance US, Iran relations after separate meetings with Trump, Iranian ambassador

Over the last decade, Iraq has been weakened from within because of Iranian-backed militias. Some of the militias have historical ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Iran.

JULY 21, 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.

Diplomatic efforts seek to avert Trump split with UN refugee agency, sources say

The sources said that the agency had informed supporters that it could be placed on a US blacklist, ending funding, and that Washington could also withdraw from its governing Executive Committee.

JULY 21, 2026ByREUTERS
US President Donald Trump gestures as he disembarks the new Qatari-gifted Air Force One, while he arrives at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City, US, July 17, 2026.

One US service member killed in Iraq, unidentified remains of soldier found in Jordan, CENTCOM says

CENTCOM also announced that unidentified remains were located in Jordan on Sunday in the same locations where an Iranian strike killed two US service members on Saturday.

JULY 19, 2026ByGOLDIE KATZ
Members of the military salute during a dignified transfer of the remains of six US Army service members of the 103rd Sustainment Command, who were killed in Kuwait, at Dover Air Force Base in Dover, Delaware, US, March 7, 2026.

US pushes Mediterranean oil pipelines to bypass Strait of Hormuz despite proxy security risks

Middle East correspondent Battaglia said that, in her view, if it were up to al-Zaidi, Baghdad would already have decided to chart its future with the United States rather than with Iran.

JULY 19, 2026ByGIORGIA VALENTE/THE MEDIA LINE
US President Donald Trump shakes hands with Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi as they participate in a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington.

Iran targets Kurdistan in regional escalation, spiking gas prices and tensions - analysis

Iran’s attacks on the Kurdistan Region come as the Iraqi prime minister has wrapped up his visit to the US.

JULY 19, 2026BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Iranian Kurdish fighters from the Kurdistan Freedom Party, known as PAK take part in a training session at a base on the outskirts of Erbil, Iraq February 12, 2026.

Damascus calls Hezbollah ‘terrorist militia’, partners with Iraq to stop arms smuggling

The ministry said specialized security units intercepted a suspicious vehicle near the Syrian-Iraqi border and discovered a cache of long-range missiles, guided anti-tank missiles, and drones. 

JULY 19, 2026ByRIZIK ALABI/THE MEDIA LINE
Drones displayed by Syria's Interior Ministry after authorities said they were seized during an operation that foiled an alleged cross-border weapons smuggling attempt near the al-Tanf border crossing with Iraq, July 16, 2026.

Archaeologists discover rare 2,600-year-old stele of Assyrian king in Iraq's Nineveh

The stele has since been moved to the Inspectorate’s headquarters to undergo initial restoration work so that it can be studied in depth.

JULY 19, 2026ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAM
A fragment of an ancient stele dating to the reign of the Assyrian King Ashurbanipal found in Iraq's Nineveh province, July 17, 2026.

From forced conversion to genocide: How Yazidis carry centuries of persecution into exile

MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS: The Islamic interpretation of the Yazidi faith is what members of ISIS used to justify the enslavement of over 6,000 women and children and the murder of more than 5,000 people.

JULY 18, 2026ByDANIELLE GREYMAN-KENNARD
A Yazidi woman holds a flame during the Charshama Sor Red New Year ceremony at the Lalish temple in Iraq in April. For a community repeatedly driven from its ancestral homes and subjected to forced conversions, religious tradition has become an enduring expression of survival and continuity.

Syria’s actions against Hezbollah weapons smuggling showcase its regional commitment - analysis

As US President Donald Trump maneuvers to bring about peace in Lebanon, Syria plays a key role in helping cut off the arms flow to Hezbollah.

JULY 16, 2026BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Syrian security forces seize a Hezbollah weapons shipment near the Syrian-Iraqi border, July 16, 2026.

Iraqi PM Ali al-Zaidi's visit to US, meeting with Trump strengthens US-Iraq ties - analysis

It appears that Trump likes Iraq’s new leader. Zaidi is a former businessperson, like Trump. As such, Zaidi tried to present a new face of Iraq to the White House.

JULY 15, 2026BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
US President Donald Trump shakes hands with Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi as they participate in a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, US, July 14, 2026.