Iraq

Voices from the Arab press: Iranian calamities, Netanyahu's rule, and state legitimacy

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

Military equipment targeted at an unknown location, during what US CENTCOM says are strikes on Iran, in this video screengrab released July 20.
A girl waves a Libyan flag, during celebrations commemorating the 10th anniversary of the 2011 revolution in Tripoli, Libya February 17, 2021.

Why Iran will not be another Libya if the regime is overthrown - opinion

Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa (R) receives UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at the People's Palace in Damascus on July 25, 2026.

UN chief visit to Syria seen by Damascus as key step towards reconstruction after war - analysis

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian attend a welcoming ceremony in Tehran, Iran July 23, 2026.

Iran, uninterested in 'temporary deal' with US, rejects Iraqi-led ceasefire proposal - report


Ex-IDF soldier convicted for using foreign passport to enter Iraq, Yemen, and Saudi Arabia

Prosecutors said 27-year-old Lior Matan Weinstein entered countries Israelis are barred by law from visiting without approval, admitted the facts in the indictment, and was convicted on Tuesday.

A Romanian passport; Illustrative.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi arrives in Iran to meet with President Masoud Pezeshkian

Zaidi's visit also comes more than a week after he met with US President Donald Trump on July 14.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian attend a welcoming ceremony in Tehran, Iran July 23, 2026.

Iraqi PM Zaidi's meeting in Iran tests delicate balance between Washington and Tehran - analysis

The new Iraqi policies from Washington dovetail with Syria’s stability and new oil and energy deals that will see Iraq export oil through Syria.

: Prime Minister of Iraq Ali al-Zaidi speaks during a bilateral meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House on July 14, 2026 in Washington, DC

Australia's 'Dr. Jihad' found in Iraqi prison 10 years after declared dead in ISIS siege - report

Tareq Kamleh was presumed to have been killed in Syria over a decade ago, but was actually being held in a high-security Baghdad prison, according to a report by The Australian.

Dr Jihad, or Tareq Kamleh, calls for jihad to be waged in the West in an Islamic State propaganda video.

Historic Trump-Aoun meeting showcases White House's new Middle East priorities - analysis

Trump's recent meeting with Aoun demonstrates a US commitment to brokering peace between Israel and Lebanon in the wake of the June Framework Agreement.

 U.S. President Donald Trump (L) greets President of Lebanon Joseph Aoun as he arrives at the White House on July 21, 2026 in Washington, DC.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.