Iran iraq

Iraq's government struggling amid threats of rebellion, protests, rising Iran tensions - analysis

The dispute comes amid tensions between Baghdad and Tehran and renewed protests in the Iraqi capital marking the anniversary of the 2019 Tishreen movement.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Iraqi security forces stand at the Shalamcheh border crossing with Iran after Iraq closed the crossing following airstrikes on the Iranian side that security sources said killed an Iraqi citizen, Iraq, April 4, 2026.
Iraqi security forces stand at the Shalamcheh border crossing with Iran after Iraq closed the crossing following airstrikes on the Iranian side that security sources said killed an Iraqi citizen, Iraq, April 4, 2026.

Iraq braces for renewed Iran conflict after 1,000 strikes on Kurdistan, 600 militia attacks

Baghdad shut crossings with Iran this week, and the Kurdistan Region denied hosting Ukrainian drones, as Iraq moves to avoid being drawn into another round of fighting.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Supporters of the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) chant slogans and wave flags at a rally celebrating the end of the U.S. military presence in Iraq on September 30, 2026 in Baghdad, Iraq.

Mysterious explosion hits Baghdad, injuring soldiers from Iranian-backed militias in Iraq

Iraq authorities are trying to downplay the idea that this site was struck by a munition, with investigations framing it as an accident rather than an attack.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Image Reboot: A female fighter from from the Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK) trains at a base near Erbil, Iraq, in Feb.

Islamic regime attacks against Kurdish forces affect both Kurds in Iran, Iraq as tensions rise

More than 1,000 drones have been fired against Kurdish forces in Iraq, while Kurds in both Iran and Iraq fear that the strikes will reach their homes.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN

The hit that wasn’t: When Saddam Hussein offered to kill Khomeini and the Shah said no

This decision, made quietly, cautiously, and with the best of intentions, reshaped the fate of a nation and the entire region.

JULY 7, 2025ByALEX WINSTON
Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini (L) who became Iran's first Supreme Leader after the Islamic Revolution and Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, who offered the Shah of Iran to dispose of the cleric

How Iraqi militias siphoned billions from Visa and Mastercard for Iran - WSJ

US and Iraqi authorities revealed a complex scheme involving prepaid cards that funneled illicit funds to Iranian-backed terror militias.

JUNE 2, 2025ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Members of the Iran-backed Iraqi militias al-Nujaba and Kataib Hezbollah appear in Baghdad on December 4, 2023.

Arab League Summit in Baghdad is about a new Arab world - analysis

The reports in Iraq note that the summit seeks to focus on many issues in the region.

MAY 17, 2025BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein welcomes Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani upon arrival at Baghdad International Airport ahead of the 34th Arab League summit, in Baghdad, Iraq, May 17, 2025.

Iraqi president highlights 'historic' ties with Iran during Davos address

Abdul Latif Rashid discussed Iraq-Iran relations and Iraqi sovereignty at Davos.

JANUARY 25, 2025BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Presidential candidate Abdul Latif Rashid attends a parliamentary session to vote for a new head of state president in Baghdad, Iraq, October 13, 2022.

The world has Israel to thank for no nuclear fears in post-Assad Syria- opinion

Thanks to Israel, the now-impending Syrian chaos may be deeply destabilizing, but it will plausibly be nonnuclear.

JANUARY 7, 2025ByLOUIS RENÉ BERES
IN SEPTERMBER 2007, IDF fighter jets carried out Operation Orchard and destroyed a nuclear reactor in Syria. If not for the Israeli operation, nuclear weapons could eventually have fallen into the hands of Sunni jihadi terrorist organizations now beginning to contend for power in post-Assad Syria.

Sirens activated in Jerusalem Hills as IAF intercepts missile form Yemen, drones from Iraq

The IDF confirmed that it had identified a single missile launch from Yemen, which was successfully intercepted with no casualties reported.

NOVEMBER 11, 2024ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
(Illustrative) An Iron Dome anti-missile projectile intercepts a rocket that was fired from Gaza, above the Israeli city of Ashkelon, Israel May 4, 2019.

How will Iran’s proxies in Iraq respond to US election? – analysis

Iranian militias ramp up drone attacks on Israel, await US response post-election.

NOVEMBER 6, 2024BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Iraqi Shiite militia fighters hold the Islamic State flag as they celebrate after breaking the siege of Amerli by Islamic State militants, September 1, 2014.

Iran uses proxy militias in Iraq to pressure the US - analysis

Iran is prodding militias to increase threats to the US in Iraq in order to see if the US will pressure Israel not to strike harder at Hezbollah.

JULY 1, 2024BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
PROTESTERS BURN an Israeli and a US flag in Tehran, earlier this year. The Iranian cyber threat is especially troubling for the Jewish Diaspora, which Iran targets as part of its broader agenda, encapsulated in its chilling slogan: ‘Death to America, Death to Israel,’ says the writer.

Israel-Iran alliance: Jerusalem's arm sales to the Islamic Republic during Iran-Iraq War

Clandestine Israeli sales of military equipment helped turn the tide of the war and prevent Iran from falling to Saddam’s forces.

JUNE 14, 2024ByALEX WINSTON
Snapshots illustrating the relationship between Israel and Iran

Ebrahim Raisi signaled Iranian revolution's demise

The deceased Iranian president epitomized the Khomeini Revolution’s successes, adventures, and decay.

MAY 24, 2024ByAMOTZ ASA-EL
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi gestures during a meeting with Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro at the Miraflores Palace, in Caracas, Venezuela June 12, 2023.