Iraq news

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.

|BySETH 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.
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.

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
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

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.

|ByREUTERS
Iraqi President Nizar Amedi and Ali al-Zaidi, the nominee of Iraq's Shiite Coordination Framework for prime minister, stand with political figures during a ceremony where Zaidi was tasked with forming a new government, in Baghdad, Iraq, April 27, 2026.

Iraq names little-known banker Ali al-Zaidi as PM after five-month deadlock

The real story of Zaidi is that he is largely unknown and appears to have been chosen almost by chance, as if Iraq’s politicians simply settled on a random figure to lead the country.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN

After ISIS, Mosul rebuilds monuments, mosques and society

"Daesh militants have been eliminated but the Daesh idea remains. How can I live with my neighbors who branded me an infidel? How can my daughter live with them?"

JULY 26, 2017ByREUTERS
An Iraqi man waves his naitonal flag in the newly liberated city of Mosul, July 9

JPost from the frontline: The 9-month battle for the liberation of Mosul

Over nearly a year the 'Jerusalem Post' visited the war-torn Iraqi city three times and came back with dramatic footage.

JULY 23, 2017BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Mosul

Facing imminent defeat in Mosul, Islamic State members attempt to flee across river

After eight months of combat that has ruined parts of the city, killed thousands of civilians and displaced nearly one million people, Iraqi officials say victory is close.

JULY 9, 2017ByREUTERS
Smoke rises after an US airstrike, while the Iraqi army pushes into Topzawa village during the operation against Islamic State militants near Bashiqa, near Mosul, Iraq October 24, 2016.

ISIS blows up historic mosque where 'caliphate' was declared

Destruction of 12th century mosque at end of Ramadan comes amidst ISIS-inspired terror attacks around the world as extremist group loses battle for Mosul.

JUNE 22, 2017BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
A still image taken from video shows the destroyed Grand al-Nuri Mosque of Mosul in Iraq, June 21, 2017

Reporter's Notebook: A personal journey through Mosul’s war with ISIS

War is also addictive. The artillery concussions ring deep in the body. Advancing to the front gives one fear and a sense of being alive.

JUNE 10, 2017BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
A MAN carries his daughter on his back after fleeing their home due to fighting between Iraqi forces and Islamic State fighters in Mosul’s al-Zanjili district in Iraq

Hezbollah commander's death in Iraq overshadows Mideast, Israel

Death of Hezbollah commander marks an escalation in Iran’s role in Iraq

JUNE 4, 2017BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
PEOPLE TOSS rose petals as Hezbollah members stand near the coffin of top Hezbollah commander Mustafa Badreddine, who was killed in an attack in Syria last year

Iranian-backed militias reach Iraq-Syria border

In lightning offensive, Iraqi forces carve out strategic corridor from Baghdad to Syria.

MAY 30, 2017BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Shi'ite fighters from Mahdi Army launch rockets during heavy fighting against Islamic state members at Bo Hassan village, near Tikrit in northern Iraq.

Iraqi forces using siege and stealth to evict ISIS from Mosul

ISIS fighters "came to die and the majority of them are now in hell."

APRIL 25, 2017ByREUTERS
Iraqi Special Operations Forces (ISOF) gather during an operation to clear the al-Zirai district of Islamic State militants in Mosul.

ISIS crimes scarred Iraqi history and landscape

Today’s Mosul and the areas around it were the site of many of the worst crimes of ISIS against cultural heritage.

APRIL 13, 2017BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
ONE OF MANY churches destroyed by ISIS in the Christian town of Qaraqosh, Iraq.

A hitchhiker’s guide to the militias that now dominate much of Iraq

Country’s Shia take page from Hezbollah playbook.

APRIL 8, 2017BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Shia militia flags hang from a mosque in Mosul