Iraq

Iraq offers steep crude oil discounts amid Hormuz shipping risks

Iraq's state oil marketer has offered discounts of up to $29.80 per barrel on August-loading Basrah crude to persuade buyers to continue lifting cargoes from export terminals inside the Strait of Hormuz, as security incidents and declining vessel traffic squeeze…

U.S., Saudi Arabia launch joint strikes on Iran-backed militias in Iraq

U.S. and Saudi forces carried out joint precision airstrikes in eastern Iraq on Tuesday targeting Iran-backed militias, U.S. Central Command announced, marking an escalation that came hours after CENTCOM confirmed intercepting an Iranian ballistic missile attack aimed at American forces…

Iraq says US energy deals worth $200B, tripling initial estimate

Iraq's Oil Minister Bassem Mohammed Khudair said on Tuesday that energy agreements signed with American companies during Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi's visit to Washington are worth approximately $200 billion, a figure that encompasses seven major contracts aimed at expanding Iraq's…

Iraq, Syria sign US-backed deal to revive oil pipeline bypassing Hormuz

Iraq and Syria signed a memorandum of understanding in Washington on Friday to rehabilitate the long-defunct Kirkuk-Baniyas crude oil pipeline, a US-brokered agreement aimed at creating an export route that bypasses the Strait of Hormuz amid the ongoing US-Iran conflict.

BP, ConocoPhillips announce billions in Iraq investments

ConocoPhillips and BP are announcing billions of dollars in new investments in Iraq's energy sector on Friday as part of a broader push by Washington to strengthen Baghdad's oil industry and reduce the region's dependence on energy routes vulnerable to…

Chevron set to sign Iraq oil and pipeline deals Friday

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi's visit to Washington this week is yielding a wave of energy agreements, with Chevron poised to formalize memorandums of understanding with Baghdad covering the West Qurna 2 and Nassiriya oilfields as part of a broader…

Millions gather as Khamenei funeral continues in Iraq

Millions of mourners flooded the Iraqi holy cities of Najaf and Karbala on Wednesday for funeral processions honoring Iran's slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in one of the largest gatherings in the modern history of either city. Iraq's Popular…

Iraq signs Halliburton deal to develop two Basra oil fields

Iraq's state-owned Basra Oil Company signed a five-year joint management contract with Halliburton on Sunday to develop two oil fields in southern Basra province, as Baghdad pushes to expand production capacity amid a simmering dispute with OPEC over output quotas.

Oil set for steepest quarterly drop since 2020 pandemic

Oil prices fell on Tuesday and are set for their worst quarterly decline since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, driven by expectations that diplomacy between the United States and Iran could restore crude flows through the Strait of…

Senegal routs 10-man Iraq 5-0 at World Cup in Toronto

Senegal delivered a commanding performance at Toronto Stadium on Friday, dismantling a 10-man Iraq side 5-0 to finish third in Group I and position themselves for a place in the Round of 32 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Haaland scores twice in World Cup debut as Norway rout Iraq

Erling Haaland needed just 29 minutes to announce himself on the World Cup stage, scoring twice and adding an assist as Norway defeated Iraq 4-1 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on Tuesday evening in their Group I opener.

NATO weighs return to Iraq after wartime evacuation

NATO's advisory mission to Iraq, which was fully evacuated to southern Italy amid the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, could return to Baghdad in the coming months, the mission's former commander said this week.

Saudi Arabia intercepts three drones from Iraqi airspace

Saudi Arabia said on Sunday that its air defenses intercepted and destroyed three drones after they entered the kingdom's territory from Iraqi airspace, marking the latest in a series of aerial threats that have tested Gulf security since the broader…

Israel built secret base in Iraq during Iran war, WSJ reports

Israel established a clandestine military outpost in Iraq's western desert to support its air campaign against Iran and launched airstrikes against Iraqi troops who nearly discovered the site, the Wall Street Journal News Corp reported on Saturday, citing people familiar…

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Iraq taps political newcomer al-Zaidi as prime minister-designate

Iraqi President Nizar Amedi on Monday designated Ali al-Zaidi, a 40-year-old businessman and political newcomer, as prime minister-designate, tasking him with forming a new government after months of political deadlock and weeks of fraught negotiations shaped by American pressure.

Iraq beats Bolivia 2-1 to clinch final World Cup spot

Iraq secured the 48th and final spot at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Tuesday night, defeating Bolivia 2-1 in the intercontinental playoff final at Estadio BBVA in Monterrey, Mexico, ending a 40-year absence from football's grandest stage.

Iraq seeks World Cup playoff delay after rejecting FIFA’s 25-hour road trip plan

Graham Arnold, the Australian coach of Iraq's national football team, has urged FIFA to postpone his side's inter-confederation World Cup playoff against either Bolivia or Suriname, scheduled for March 31 in Monterrey, Mexico, warning that the ongoing conflict between Iran…

Iraq’s World Cup hopes in peril as war strands coach, blocks visas

Iraq's bid to qualify for the 2026 World Cup is facing a deepening crisis as the war between the United States, Israel, and Iran disrupts travel across the Middle East, leaving head coach Graham Arnold stranded in the United Arab…

Lost 1930s photos help Yazidis reclaim heritage after ISIS

University of Pennsylvania researchers have helped Iraq's Yazidi community rediscover precious fragments of their heritage through nearly 300 black-and-white photographs taken by archaeologists in the 1930s, offering the persecuted religious minority a rare glimpse into their past before it was…

Iraq drought uncovers 40 ancient tombs buried for millennia

A severe drought in Iraq has dramatically revealed 40 ancient tombs buried beneath the waters of the Mosul Dam reservoir for over two millennia, offering archaeologists a rare window into the Hellenistic period before rising water levels submerge the site…

Turkey returns ancient cuneiform tablets to Iraq in ceremony

In a formal ceremony at Ankara's Republic Museum, Türkiye returned six ancient cuneiform tablets to Iraq, dating from the Akkadian Empire, Third Dynasty of Ur, and Old Babylonian period (24th to 18th centuries B.C.), which contain valuable economic records, priest…