Iraq

From diplomacy to bombs: Western nihilism fueled Iran’s expansion - opinion

Decades of Western diplomacy misjudged Iran’s ideology, fueling a war that the West was unprepared for.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian speaks on the 47th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution in Tehran, in February.
Shi'ite Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) members hold an Islamic State flag, which they pulled down, during the war between Iraqi army and Shi'ite Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) against the Islamic State militants in Tal Afar, Iraq August 27, 2017.

Iraqi PMF presence in Iran raises alarm over crackdown, potential US ground war

 Shelly Kittleson with an Afghani interview subject in 2024.

Foreign journalist holding US passport kidnapped in Baghdad by unknown parties, police say

Shir Perets debunks viral claims and examines the narratives driving the conversation around Israel and the war.

Exposing the hidden forces in the Iranian war


Iran targets Kurdistan Region in Iraq, seeks to make it a war zone - analysis

Iran attacks Kurdish groups in Iraq, using militias to strike US forces and neighbors, seeking to turn Iraq into a strategic buffer zone against uprisings in Kurdish areas of Iran.

A plume of smoke rises near Erbil International Airport in Erbil on March 1, 2026.

IDF launches broad wave of strikes across Iran after barrage of ballistic missiles

Iranian missile hits in central Israel • US denies targeting school in Iran • Iranian Quds Force Lebanon Corps commander Daoud Ali Zadeh was killed in Tehran.

Smoke plumes rise following missile strikes in Tehran on March 1, 2026.

US urges citizens to immediately depart over a dozen Middle Eastern countries, including Israel

Mora Namdar, the State Department's assistant secretary for consular affairs, said US citizens should leave using available commercial transportation "due to safety risks."

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to the media on the day of a briefing for Congressional leaders on the situation in Iran, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, US, March 2, 2026.

Gulf states suffer as Iran continues strikes, US embassies send warnings to citizens

Gulf states have been suffering the consequences of the US-Israel war against Iran, after missiles have fallen on foreign territories.

Iran and Iraq map. Ilustration.

With Iraqi militia attacks on US forces, Iraq edges toward Iran war frontline

Iranian-backed militias have launched a series of drone attacks targeting US bases in Iraq, raising the question: has Iraq become the next frontline in the widening Iran war?

A plume of smoke rises near Erbil International Airport in Erbil on March 1, 2026. Loud explosions were heard early on March 1 near Erbil airport, which hosts US-led coalition troops in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, an AFP journalist said.

Who is Ali Larijani, the Iranian official who may play a key role in Iran's future? - analysis

The absence of leadership is leading to questions about who might be the real decision maker in Tehran now. One name being mentioned is Ali Larijani. Who is Larijani, and why does he matter?

 Iran's security chief Ali Larijani attends a ceremony by the Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah marking the first anniversary of Israel's assassination of their longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah, in Beirut's southern suburbs on September 27, 2025.

Why Iran's attack on Gulf states mimics Iraq's assault on Saudi Arabia - analysis

Iran's attack might have the opposite effect, bringing Gulf countries closer together and enabling cooperation with the US and among themselves.

Iran and Iraq map. Ilustration.

The Kurds' moment: Why Iran’s Kurdish opposition thinks history is turning in its favor

MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS: Kurdish groups in Iran and Iraq have faced incredible hardships. They have persevered. Now they sense that their moment has arrived.

KURDISH GEN. Hussein Yazdanpanah, whom the writer first met almost a decade ago, has been fighting for Kurdish sovereignty for years.

Security gaps in Syrian camps and prisons raise risk of ISIS reemergence

A senior Syrian security source familiar with intelligence reports said: “There are indications that some ISIS detainees managed to escape from certain prisons during the past months.”

Women and children seen inside al-Hol camp, amongst them some 6,200 women and children from around 40 nationalities, and including relatives of suspected Islamic State jihadists in the desert region of Hasakah province on January 25, 2026 in Al Hasakah, Syria.

For Kurds in Iraq, Iran conflict has opportunities and pitfalls - analysis

In the past, some Kurds were able to seek refuge in Iran during Saddam Hussein’s genocidal poison gas attacks. However, the Iranian regime has been persecuting Kurds over recent decades.

Travellers, mainly Iranian Kurds, arrive at the Haji Omran border crossing with Iran (Iranian flag in the background), in Iraq's autonomous northern Kurdish region, on February 1, 2026.