Iran iraq

Marco Rubio in UAE warns Iran-backed militias in Iraq threaten regional stability

Washington has used a combination of sanctions, terrorist designations, and rewards for information on militia leaders.

 US Secretary of State Marco Rubio takes part in a media briefing during the 58th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers' meeting and related meetings at the Convention Centre in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on July 10, 2025.
Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Ali al-Zaidi speaks during a parliamentary session to vote in a new government at the parliament headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq, May 14, 2026.

Iraq in transition: Baghdad pushes weapons monopoly amid reforms - analysis

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.

Drone attack reported in Iraq's Kurdistan region, as US-Iran tensions grow

A member of Komala of the Toilers of Kurdistan stands while holding a machine gun at a mountain base in Khalifan near Erbil, Iraq's Kurdistan region, on March 12, 2026.

Iran relentlessly targets Kurdish opposition in northern Iraq despite regional ceasefire - analysis


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.

Is Iran’s new drone swarm Shahed-136 tech a gamechanger? - analysis

These types of drones fly directly into a target and self-destruct, and Iran seems to have acquired it.

 An explosion is seen at an Iranian missile and drone test at the 17th Great Prophet drill in Iran.

Iran-backed militia behind attack on Iraqi PM - security officials, sources

Iran is unlikely to have sanctioned the attack as Tehran is keen to avoid a spiral of violence on its western border, sources and independent analysts said.

 Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi addresses the nation following a drone strike targeted his residence in Baghdad, Iraq November 7, 2021 in this still image obtained from a video.