Iran iraq

The US and Israel must come to Saudi Arabia’s aid - opinion

The Saudis soon realized that in the Middle East at least, the military and terrorist power Iran and its proxies possessed would prevail over Saudi’s financial clout. Hariri was assassinated in 2005.

Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman meets UAE Vice President and Deputy Prime Minister, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, September 29, 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.

As US leaves Iraq, Baghdad sees withdrawal as 'symbol of sovereignty' - analysis

Shiite Muslim devotees sit in prayer while having copies of the Koran, Islam's holy book, placed on the head as they attend mass prayers.

Trump administration considers waiver to allow Iraqi flights for pilgrimage in Iran - report

A ground controller directs an airliner on the apron on August 29, 2015 at the international airport of the city of Najaf as Iraqis are heading to Saudi Arabia to perform the annual Muslim Hajj pilgrimage in the holy city of Mecca.

Flights must be open to all or to no one, Iranian adviser says following Iraqi airport suspension


Will Iran use the Ramadan period to increase tensions with Israel?

Iran knows it can stoke tensions over several thousand miles of potential frontline – including the Gaza Strip, northern Israel and the Golan Heights.

 Israeli security forces at the scene of a stabbing attack in the Old City of Jerusalem, on May 31, 2019.

Concerns for Iraq after it fails to elect a president - analysis

Since the US invasion of Iraq and the toppling of the dictator Saddam Hussein, Iraq has had a Kurdish President.

 IRAQI LAWMAKERS attend the first session of the new Iraqi parliament in Baghdad, on January 9.

Iran’s militias in Iraq claim 'Zionist presence' in Erbil

Iran fired large missiles that landed near a new US consulate compound and damaged a house, with Iranian regime media reporting that the Islamic Republic was also targeting “Zionist” facilities.

 View of a damaged building in the aftermath of missile attacks in Erbil, Iraq March 13, 2022

Pro-Iranian groups in Iraq back Tehran’s attack on US, Israel - analysis

Iraq’s prime minister is reportedly heading to Erbil, the capital of the country's Kurdistan Region, where the attack took place.

 A plane is seen at the Erbil International Airport in Erbil, Iraq September 29, 2017.

Iran attacks Kurdish region in Iraq in message to US - analysis

The US consulate building in Erbil is supposed to be safe and secure in a friendly Kurdish region. The attacks show otherwise, that Iran can easily target the US facility.  

 A damaged wall is seen after last night's rocket attack on U.S.-led forces in and near Erbil International Airport, in Erbil, Iraq February 16, 2021.

Why did Iranian media claim Iran targeted ‘two advanced Israeli centers’ in Erbil - analysis

If Iran can claim it has struck at both it gets to claim it has struck two for the price of one. This doesn’t mean that Iran has actually done what it claims to have done.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi gestures as he speaks at Tehran's Friday prayer on the occasion of the 43rd anniversary of the Islamic Revolution of Iran in Tehran, Iran, February 11, 2022.

Five times Iran used Iraqi militias to conduct drone attacks - analysis

Iran has recently established even closer ties with Iraqi militias and is now using them to attack Israel, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and other states.  

 Missiles are launched during a joint exercise called the 'Great Prophet 17', in the southwest of Iran, December 24, 2021. Picture taken December 24, 2021.

Iran and its proxies are emboldened by lack of accountability - analysis

Iran has set its sights precisely on countries in which its proxy groups have taken over the government and carried out extrajudicial killings.

Iranian flag flies in front of the UN office building, housing IAEA headquarters, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in Vienna, Austria, May 24, 2021.

Is Iran vs. US shadow war in Iraq and Syria about to explode? - analysis

Now, the shadow conflict that has emerged, stretching from Baghdad to attacks on the US in Tanf garrison in Syria, is growing and risks exploding into the open.

 The remains of the wreckage of a drone that was shot down are seen at Ain al-Asad air base in Anbar province, Iraq January 4, 2022.

Drone attack on US base foiled, Iraqi security sources say

The words "Soleimani's revenge" were written on the wing of one of the drones, indicating that the attempted attack was connected to the two-year anniversary of the Iranian general's assassination.

 A view shows the remains of destroyed vehicles during the second anniversary of the killing of Iranian military commander General Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in a US drone attack, at Baghdad Airport in Baghdad, Iraq, January 2, 2022.