Iraq

 Powerful Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr said on Friday he was dissolving the Promised Day Brigade, an armed faction loyal to him, and closing its headquarters, according to a statement published on his Twitter page. On Thursday, Sadr urged paramilitary groups to purge what he called undisciplined members, and said non-state …

The US is working to keep its forces in Iraq and Syria to help fight Daesh, Al-Arabiya TV reported on Friday citing the Pentagon. It further said that it will keep tens of thousands of soldiers in military bases in the Middle East. On Iran, the Pentagon said there was …

The Iraqi Cabinet approved on Tuesday an agreement to send Lebanon 500,000 tonnes of gas oil, Iraq’s communication minister said after a cabinet meeting. In July, Iraq signed a deal allowing the cash-strapped Lebanese government to pay for 1 million tonnes of heavy fuel oil a year in goods and …

Iraq’s oil minister has said work is underway at four exploration sites in the country’s western desert, the Iraqi state news agency (INA) said on Saturday. The Iraqi Oil Exploration Company is handling the exploration work, Ihsan Abdul Jabbar said, adding his ministry was also cooperating with American companies at …

A top Iranian general visited Baghdad after the assassination attempt against Iraq’s prime minister, and said Tehran and its allies had nothing to do with the drone attack that lightly injured the Iraqi leader, two Iraqi politicians said Monday. News of the visit came as an Iraqi army general said …

A drone attack that targeted the Iraqi prime minister on Sunday was carried out by at least one Iranian-backed militia group, Iraqi security officials and sources close to the militias said. The sources, who spoke to Reuters on Monday on condition of anonymity, said the drones and explosives used in …

Besides Pope Francis and the Dalai Lama, few religious leaders today command as much respect among Muslims and non-Muslims alike as Grand Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani, the 91-year-old “supreme marja” of the world’s Shiite Muslims. Al-Sistani was a disciple of Ayatollah Abu Al-Qasim Al-Khoei, who was for decades the most renowned religious …

Hundreds of supporters of pro-Iranian factions staged a fresh demonstration on Saturday in the Iraqi capital over last month’s election results, a day after at least one protester was killed in a clash with police. The demonstrations come while Iraq’s numerous political parties negotiate to form coalitions and name a …

A drone laden with explosives targeted the residence of Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi in Baghdad early on Sunday in what the Iraqi military called an attempted assassination, but said Kadhimi escaped unhurt. The attack, which security sources said injured several members of Kadhimi’s personal protection detail, came after protests …

Hundreds of supporters of pro-Iran groups clashed with security forces in Iraq’s capital Friday, expressing their fury over last month’s election result, AFP journalists and a security source said. Demonstrators from groups loyal to the Hashed al-Shaabi paramilitary network threw projectiles and “blocked… access to the (high-security) Green Zone” on …

The Iraqi government plans to sign energy contracts worth tens of billions of dollars with Saudi Arabia, the state newspaper Al-Sabaah reported on Monday, citing Iraqi Oil Minister Ihsan Abdul Jabbar. Baghdad is discussing a partnership with Saudi Aramco to explore and develop natural gas fields in Iraq’s western desert, …

Turkish intelligence helped Iraq capture a senior Islamic State leader who had been hiding out in northwestern Syria, three security sources said on Tuesday, in an operation that points to closer cooperation against remnants of the jihadist group. Iraq announced on Monday that its security forces had captured Sami Jasim, …

Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr’s party swept an Iraqi election on Monday, coming first and increasing the number of seats he holds in parliament, according to initial results, officials and a spokesperson for the Sadrist Movement. A count based on initial results from several Iraqi provinces plus the capital Baghdad, verified …

Iraq has captured Sami Jasim, a high-ranking member of the Islamic State (IS) group, Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi said on Monday. Jasim, who allegedly served as a deputy to former IS group leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was arrested by intelligence services “outside the borders” of Iraq, Kadhemi said on Twitter.  “While our …

Iraq saw a record low election turnout since the US-led invasion that toppled dictator Saddam Hussein, the independent body that oversees the election said Monday. The preliminary results signal widespread dissatisfaction and distrust in this weekend’s vote for a new parliament. The election was held months ahead of schedule as …

Soldiers, prisoners and displaced people voted in special early polls in Iraq on Friday as the country prepared for a Sunday general election where turnout will show how much faith voters have left in a still young democratic system. Many Iraqis say they will not vote https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/iraqis-vote-ballot-marked-by-growing-social-political-fractures-2021-09-28, having watched established …

Iraq’s oil minister said that oil at $75-$80 a barrel was a fair price for producers and consumers, adding that his country was seeking to expand its production and export capacity in the coming years. Oil prices traded above $83 a barrel on Wednesday, their highest since October 2018, amid …

Iraq’s oil minister said on Sunday that oil prices reaching $100 a barrel will not be sustainable and that OPEC wants stable markets. Ihsan Abdul Jabbar added in a TV interview with Skynews Arabia that he is working on a programme to raise the country’s oil production capacity to 8 million …

Hundreds of Iraqis marched in the center of Baghdad on Friday to mark two years since mass anti-government protests erupted in the Iraqi capital and southern provinces calling for reforms. Around 1,000 protesters took part in the event, including a significant number of women, many carrying photos of loved ones …

Iraq and the Netherlands joined the UN agencies responsible for children and counter-terrorism to launch a global framework to support UN member states willing to repatriate their citizens from Iraq and Syria on Wednesday. Thousands of suspected foreign terrorist fighters are currently being held in detention facilities after the collapse …

Cooperation and solidarity is the world’s “only choice” in the fight against global terrorism, Iraqi President Barham Salih said. Speaking at the UN General Assembly, Salih told fellow world leaders that his country had been dogged by wars and genocides over the past 40 years. “We have known mass graves, …

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian held “thorough and confident” talks with Iraq’s President Barham Salih late on Thursday, wrote Le Drian on his Twitter page. “Following on from the Baghdad conference of August 28 and the ministerial meeting in New York on September 21, I reaffirmed the support of …

A powerful mix of insecurity and traditional prejudice against more liberal female politicians put Awatef Rasheed off running for parliament when she returned to Iraq in 2014 after years abroad.Nada al-Jubori, a candidate in Iraq’s upcoming parliamentary elections, speaks to her supporters in Baghdad, Iraq September 9, 2021. Seven years …

Iraqi investors and industrialists want to establish integrated industrial complexes with their Egyptian counterparts, taking a first step to enhance trade relations between the two countries. During a meeting with a delegation of the Federation of Iraqi Industries headed by its vice president Alaa Al-Agaili, Egyptian Trade and Industry Minister Nevin Gamea said both countries are working on strengthening trade …

Explosives-laden drones targeted Irbil international airport in northern Iraq late Saturday where US-led coalition troops are stationed with no reports of casualties, according to security forces and officials in Kurdish-run region. Kurdistan’s Counter-Terrorism Service said at least two drones carrying explosives targeted the airport in a statement. It said the …

Gunmen opened fire at a federal police checkpoint in rural northern Iraq, sparking clashes that killed 13 police, a security official said Sunday.  He blamed the attack on Daesh and said the clashes with the militants lasted for nearly an hour. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he …

Iraq’s Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhhimi held talks with Saudi Minister of Interior Prince Abdul Aziz bin Saud bin Naif on Saturday. During the meeting, they discussed security cooperation between Baghdad and Riyadh, and ways of developing it in various security fields, especially combating terrorism. The Saudi minister conveyed greetings of …

French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday visited the Daesh group’s former Iraqi stronghold Mosul, a day after vowing to keep troops in the country. Macron made the commitment during a regional summit in Baghdad largely devoted to the fight against terrorism and the impact of the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan as the …

Iraqi populist Shi’ite Muslim cleric Moqtada al-Sadr said on Friday that he and his supporters would take part in an October general election, reversing a decision last month to stay out. Sadr’s bloc is part of a coalition that holds the most seats in parliament now, and is likely to …

Lebanon’s energy ministry said it had picked Dubai’s ENOC in a tender to swap 84,000 tonnes of Iraqi high sulphur fuel oil with 30,000 tonnes of Grade B fuel oil and 33,000 tonnes of gasoil. ENOC won the tender, part of a deal between the two countries that allows the …

Iraq has invited Iran and Tehran’s Gulf Arab foes to a summit in Baghdad with the aim of calming tensions which have brought them close to open conflict in recent years. Officials say the meeting, which will also discuss the war in Yemen, Lebanon’s collapse and a regional water crisis, …

The death toll in a Turkish air raid on a clinic in Iraq’s Sinjar province has risen to eight, local officials said Wednesday, a day after the attack. Turkey regularly targets northwest Iraq in operations against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which Ankara considers a terrorist organization. The Kurdish separatists …

Facebook is introducing tools and policies that aim to provide increased transparency and controls on electoral and political ads in Iraq ahead of parliamentary elections on Oct. 10. The move is part of the company’s “ongoing commitment to raise the bar for transparency and accountability on our platform, and to …

Iran International news channel launched an Afghan-version of its station on Sunday in the midst of the US withdrawal from the country. The channel’s launch comes at a time when the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan has been all but completed, and its media industry is set to be heavily affected. …

Iraq’s electricity ministry said on Tuesday that Iranian gas supplied to the central region was reduced from 30 million to 20 million cubic meters per day, while that supplied to the southern region was reduced from 17 million to 5 million cubic meters per day. The ministry added, in a …

A senior Iranian security official urged Iraq on Tuesday to expel Iranian rebels from Iraqi Kurdistan, or expect Tehran to take “preventative measures” against the armed groups, Iranian state media reported. Iran has in the past shelled armed Kurdish opposition groups based in northern Iraq, mostly in areas controlled by …

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi met Iraqi Defense Minister Juma Inad Saadoun and discussed issues of common interest with him. The official spokesman for the presidency said the minister conveyed a message from Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi and that the message included appreciation for Egyptian efforts in support of …

Iraq restarted talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) after previously halting efforts to secure aid, the country’s finance minister Ali Allawi told reporters on Thursday, according to Bloomberg. Talks between both parties began last year amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic as demand shock sent oil prices tumbling, but were …

The United States is returning more than 17,000 ancient artifacts looted and smuggled out of Iraq after the U.S. invasion in 2003, including a 3,500-year-old clay tablet bearing part of the Epic of Gilgamesh, Iraq said on Tuesday. Tens of thousands of antiquities disappeared from Iraq after the 2003 invasion …

Two rockets were fired early Thursday against Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone which houses the US embassy, without causing any casualties or damage, an Iraqi security source told AFP. The dawn attack came as Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhemi was flying home from Washington after White House talks in which President Joe …

Several powerful pro-Iran groups in Iraq on Tuesday welcomed an announcement by Washington that US combat operations in the country will end this year, an outcome they have long demanded. US President Joe Biden declared on Monday that “we’re not going to be, at the end of the year, in …

Iraq’s Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi said on Monday he wants another American company to replace Exxon Mobil Corp when it exits Iraq. Exxon, which in 2019 had looked poised to move ahead with a $53 billion project to boost Iraq’s oil output, has been seeking to sell its 32.7% stake in one …

The US will end its combat mission in Iraq by the end of the year but counterterrorism cooperation with Baghdad will continue, President Joe Biden said on Monday. In White House talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, Biden said the US role in Iraq would shift to advising and …

The US and other Western coalition members should increase their ground forces in Iraqi Kurdistan in order to head off the threat of a resurgent terror campaign in the region, one of the main fighters against Daesh and Iran-backed militias told Arab News. General Sirwan Barzani, who commands a key …