The Latest Breaking News from Iraq

Iraqi deadlock continues with elites unable to form government

Iraq’s Sadrists, the biggest grouping in parliament, have been unable to form a government since October’s elections.

Al Jazeera · May 30, 2022

Iraq, Iran Discuss Environmental Issues

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Kadhimi affirmed that strengthening the partnership with regional countries will boost regional integration and enhance the ability to confront common environmental challenges. Kadhimi received the Iranian Vice President and Head of the Environmental Protection Organization, Ali Salajegheh, visiting Baghdad. The PM said that the historical relations…

Asharq Al-Awsat · May 30, 2022

Four People Killed in Building Collapse in Central Baghdad

Four people were killed and at least eight people, including foreign workers, were injured after a building that housed a restaurant collapsed Sunday morning in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, medical and security sources told AFP. A Civil Defense source told the news agency that the two-story building collapsed as…

Asharq Al-Awsat · May 30, 2022

Severe Water Shortages Strain Wheat Harvest in Iraq

Salah Chelab crushed a husk of wheat plucked from his sprawling farmland south of Baghdad and inspected its seeds in the palm of one hand. They were several grams lighter than he hoped. "It’s because of the water shortages," he said, the farm machine roaring behind him, cutting and gathering…

Asharq Al-Awsat · May 29, 2022

Severe water shortages strain wheat harvest in Iraq

Iraqi farmers say they are paying the price for a government decision to irrigate only 50% of agricultural lands, due to low water levels

The Independent UK · May 29, 2022

Kurdish PKK fighters may retreat to Iran as Turkish military closes in

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is vowing to crush the presence of the Kurdish militant group PKK in Iraq. But as the Turkish military closes in on the group, some analysts predict its fighters could turn to Iran, with implications across the region.

Radio France Internationale · May 28, 2022

Devil is in the Details of Iraq's New Law Criminalizing Normalization with Israel

No sooner had Iraq's parliament approved the law against normalizing ties with Israel than issues arose amid fears of "conflicts" with the Kurdistan Regional Government in Erbil. On Thursday, 275 Iraqi lawmakers voted in favor of a bill criminalizing the normalization of ties and any relations, including business ties, with…

Asharq Al-Awsat · May 28, 2022

Memorial Day memories from Pat Quinn — and me

The former governor will attend an exhibition at the Clearing library of 300 portraits of Illinois soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. I’ll be remembering my dad, a decorated World War II soldier.

Chicago Sun-Times · May 27, 2022

4 Albanian Women, 9 Children to Be Repatriated from Syria

Four Albanian women and nine children, all related to Albanians who joined extremist groups fighting in Syria and Iraq, are being repatriated from a Syrian camp, a Kurdish official from northeast Syria said Friday. Abdul-Karim Omar, an official who negotiates with countries on the return of their citizens, tweeted that,…

Asharq Al-Awsat · May 27, 2022

Iraqi Lawmakers Pass Bill Criminalizing Any Ties with Israel

Iraqi lawmakers on Thursday passed a bill criminalizing normalization of ties and any relations, including business ties, with Israel. The legislation says that violation of the law is punishable with the death sentence or life imprisonment. The law was approved with 275 lawmakers voting in favor of it in the…

Asharq Al-Awsat · May 27, 2022