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Iraq

The latest news, analysis and opinion on Iraq. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.

Capital

Baghdad

Head of State

President Abdul Latif Rashid

Head of Government

Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ Al-Sudani

A Syrian rebel fighter stands at an inspection checkpoint for incoming vehicles before a Russian flag and Russian soldiers behind manning the entrance of the Russian-leased Syrian military base of Hmeimim in Latakia province in Syria in 2024. Photo: TNS

Saudi Arabia

Russia’s role in Middle East politics endures, shifts to being ‘secondary power’

Two Russian military bases will remain in Syria as the region continues to recalibrate its relations with major powers amid the Iran war.

15 Aug 2026 - 1:00PM

Saudi Arabia

How Saudi-Turkey-Pakistan pact acts as ‘insurance’ over US disengagement

9 Aug 2026 - 4:00PMvideocam

US, Israel war on Iran

How US became trapped in ‘dreadful situation’ of its own making over Iran war

6 Aug 2026 - 3:21PMvideocam

US, Israel war on Iran

US embassies urge citizens to consider departing Middle East

The warning by embassies including those in the UAE, Qatar, Israel, Oman and Bahrain came after Trump threatened to hit Iran ‘very hard’.

2 Aug 2026 - 12:57AMvideocam

Passengers at Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi, UAE. US embassies in the Middle East on Saturday warned Americans to be ready to leave the region amid an escalation in hostilities. Photo: UCG / Universal Images Group via Getty Images

United States

As I see it | Despite immense power, the US delivers neither butter nor bullets

While Americans know they can’t get the welfare benefits they need, their leaders must realise their military can’t give them world domination.

31 Jul 2026 - 8:30PMvideocam

US, Israel war on Iran

US launches more strikes on Iran as conflict spreads across region

Pentagon retaliates following attempted attacks targeting American forces while fighting draws in Tehran-backed proxies.

30 Jul 2026 - 8:25PM

Banking & finance

Standard Chartered posts 10% profit rise, launches US$1b buy-back

Share price surges on 38 per cent rise in wealth-management revenue, even as Middle East tensions and bad debt temper profit growth.

29 Jul 2026 - 6:24PMvideocam

Net profit climbed to a record US$3.37 billion, according to Standard Chartered. Photo: Reuters

US, Israel war on Iran

Iranian missile salvoes and US-Saudi strikes shatter brief Middle East lull

Joint air strikes hit Tehran-backed militia sites in Iraq after dozens of drone and missile attacks across the region.

29 Jul 2026 - 6:55PM

United Nations

Prominent figures appeal for refugee protections as UN convention turns 75

Global advocates sign ‘The Promise’ statement as UNHCR faces severe funding cuts and tightening border restrictions worldwide.

29 Jul 2026 - 1:01PM

US, Israel war on Iran

Pentagon moves 4 killed US troops out of official Iran war death toll

New casualty category called ‘Overseas Operations’ draws scrutiny over war’s true impact on US forces.

27 Jul 2026 - 10:55AMvideocam

Transfer cases of four US Army service members at Dover Air Force Base on July 22. Photo: Reuters

Syria

Comeback corridor: Syria’s US$216 billion rebuild offers a Hormuz alternative

With US sanctions lifted, Syria is capitalising on the Strait of Hormuz crisis to position itself as a trade and oil bypass.

25 Jul 2026 - 1:30PMvideocam

US President Donald Trump (right) shakes hands with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on the sidelines of the Nato summit in Ankara, Turkey, on July 8. Photo: Reuters

US, Israel war on Iran

US-Iran fighting escalates as explosions heard in Iraq, sirens in Bahrain

As the US strikes Iran, Tehran targets Strait of Hormuz ships and US allies and assets in the region, apparently including tech giant Amazon.

24 Jul 2026 - 10:32PMvideocam

US, Israel war on Iran

Trump threatens to bomb Iranian bridge or power plant after Hormuz attacks

Warning comes as US expands air strikes, Iran targets Jordan and Houthis threaten shipping near another vital trade route.

22 Jul 2026 - 11:31PMvideocam

Malaysia

Trump proposes seasoned diplomat as Malaysia envoy instead of ‘alpha male’

Joshua Harris has been chosen for the post after Trump’s previous pick, Nick Adams, rankled Malaysians for his hardline support of Israel.

22 Jul 2026 - 6:27PM

The nomination of Nick Adams as US ambassador to Malaysia was returned to President Donald Trump in January and was no longer eligible for confirmation. Photo: X/NickAdamsinUSA

US, Israel war on Iran

Iran says fighting ‘full-scale war’ with US

The Middle East war resumed after a weeks-long lull prompted by an agreement signed in June, and oil prices surged to a month high.

21 Jul 2026 - 3:28AM

A US fighter jet takes off to launch what the military says are precision strikes targeting Iranian military capabilities on Saturday. Photo: CENTCOM/AFP

US, Israel war on Iran

US military reports another soldier killed in northern Iraq

The service member was killed in Iraq on Saturday during the ‘controlled detonation’ of a downed Iranian drone, the US military said.

20 Jul 2026 - 6:46AMvideocam

US, Israel war on Iran

Iran says Strait of Hormuz a ‘red line’, vows to fight till the end

Tehran warned of ‘existential war’ with America and threatened to block more energy exports from the Middle East.

16 Jul 2026 - 8:16PMvideocam

US, Israel war on Iran

US-Iran war: is Trump falling into a Vietnam ‘quagmire’?

Renewed strikes put Washington’s appetite for a prolonged war to a familiar historical test, analysts say.

16 Jul 2026 - 12:40AMvideocam

Screen grab from video footage released by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ Sepah News website purportedly shows missiles being launched from an undisclosed location towards US targets in Bahrain and Kuwait on July 14. Photo: AFP

US-China relations

Boko Haram exploited US and Chinese AI chatbots for attacks: Cambridge study

Former fighters say AI helped with bomb-making, planning and propaganda, raising calls for US-China action on terrorist misuse of chatbots.

15 Jul 2026 - 5:52AM

Asian cinema

Review | The President’s Cake: Cannes-winning Iraqi drama is an instant classic

Hasan Hadi’s profound film follows a young Iraqi girl trying to find ingredients for a cake to celebrate Saddam Hussein’s birthday.

14 Jul 2026 - 5:15PMvideocam

United States

US plan to allow Turkey back into F-35 jet scheme faces Israeli opposition

Turkey was ejected from the American F-35 programme in 2019 after it bought Russian air-defence systems.

10 Jul 2026 - 6:33PMvideocam

A US military F-35 fighter jet flies overhead during Independence Day celebrations in Washington on July 4. Photo: AFP

US, Israel war on Iran

Crowds of mourners gather in Tehran for Khamenei funeral procession

Iranians come out to see Ali Khamenei’s flag-draped coffin, and those of his family killed in a February 28 air strike.

6 Jul 2026 - 5:10PM

A vehicle carrying the coffins of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his family members. Photo: West Asia News Agency via Reuters

Middle East

Thousands gather in Iran as Khamenei funeral ceremonies begin

Six days of funeral ceremonies are planned to commemorate Ali Khamenei, who ruled Iran from 1989 until his killing aged 86 on February 28.

4 Jul 2026 - 6:09PM

Middle East

Video | Iranians gather in Tehran ahead of Khamenei’s funeral

While Islamic law requires swift burials, exceptions are made in times of war.

3 Jul 2026 - 7:23PM

Iran

Iranian leaders pay respects at Khamenei’s coffin as funeral begins

Delayed by months of conflict, Iran prepares to bury its slain supreme leader with a week of mass mourning.

3 Jul 2026 - 10:09PMvideocam

The coffins of Iran’s late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his family members displayed inside Tehran’s Grand Mosalla. Photo: West Asia News Agency via Reuters

US, Israel war on Iran

Gulf states in a bind over Iran’s grip on Hormuz, US troop removal talks

Analysts say GCC members face an uncertain ‘new normal’, prompting them to expand outreach to Tehran for long-term peace.

2 Jul 2026 - 9:47PMvideocam

Vessels are anchored in the Strait of Hormuz near Musandam, Oman, last month. Photo: Reuters

US, Israel war on Iran

Iran prepares funeral for late supreme leader killed on war’s first day

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s public funeral will begin Saturday as Iran and the US observe a fragile ceasefire.

1 Jul 2026 - 3:16PM

US, Israel war on Iran

14 million barrels of stranded Iraq oil travels through Strait of Hormuz

Meanwhile, US envoys Steve ‌Witkoff and Jared Kushner are in Qatar to discuss the Middle East conflict with mediators.

30 Jun 2026 - 7:48PMvideocam

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Iraq

Russia’s role in Middle East politics endures, shifts to being ‘secondary power’

Two Russian military bases will remain in Syria as the region continues to recalibrate its relations with major powers amid the Iran war.

How Saudi-Turkey-Pakistan pact acts as ‘insurance’ over US disengagement

How US became trapped in ‘dreadful situation’ of its own making over Iran war

US embassies urge citizens to consider departing Middle East

The warning by embassies including those in the UAE, Qatar, Israel, Oman and Bahrain came after Trump threatened to hit Iran ‘very hard’.

.css-1pcrwvc{color:#2aa191;}As I see it | Despite immense power, the US delivers neither butter nor bullets

While Americans know they can’t get the welfare benefits they need, their leaders must realise their military can’t give them world domination.

US launches more strikes on Iran as conflict spreads across region

Pentagon retaliates following attempted attacks targeting American forces while fighting draws in Tehran-backed proxies.

Standard Chartered posts 10% profit rise, launches US$1b buy-back

Share price surges on 38 per cent rise in wealth-management revenue, even as Middle East tensions and bad debt temper profit growth.

Iranian missile salvoes and US-Saudi strikes shatter brief Middle East lull

Joint air strikes hit Tehran-backed militia sites in Iraq after dozens of drone and missile attacks across the region.

Prominent figures appeal for refugee protections as UN convention turns 75

Global advocates sign ‘The Promise’ statement as UNHCR faces severe funding cuts and tightening border restrictions worldwide.

Pentagon moves 4 killed US troops out of official Iran war death toll

New casualty category called ‘Overseas Operations’ draws scrutiny over war’s true impact on US forces.

Comeback corridor: Syria’s US$216 billion rebuild offers a Hormuz alternative

With US sanctions lifted, Syria is capitalising on the Strait of Hormuz crisis to position itself as a trade and oil bypass.

US-Iran fighting escalates as explosions heard in Iraq, sirens in Bahrain

As the US strikes Iran, Tehran targets Strait of Hormuz ships and US allies and assets in the region, apparently including tech giant Amazon.

Trump threatens to bomb Iranian bridge or power plant after Hormuz attacks

Warning comes as US expands air strikes, Iran targets Jordan and Houthis threaten shipping near another vital trade route.

Trump proposes seasoned diplomat as Malaysia envoy instead of ‘alpha male’

Joshua Harris has been chosen for the post after Trump’s previous pick, Nick Adams, rankled Malaysians for his hardline support of Israel.

Iran says fighting ‘full-scale war’ with US

The Middle East war resumed after a weeks-long lull prompted by an agreement signed in June, and oil prices surged to a month high.

US military reports another soldier killed in northern Iraq

The service member was killed in Iraq on Saturday during the ‘controlled detonation’ of a downed Iranian drone, the US military said.

Iran says Strait of Hormuz a ‘red line’, vows to fight till the end

Tehran warned of ‘existential war’ with America and threatened to block more energy exports from the Middle East.

US-Iran war: is Trump falling into a Vietnam ‘quagmire’?

Renewed strikes put Washington’s appetite for a prolonged war to a familiar historical test, analysts say.

Boko Haram exploited US and Chinese AI chatbots for attacks: Cambridge study

Former fighters say AI helped with bomb-making, planning and propaganda, raising calls for US-China action on terrorist misuse of chatbots.

.css-1f6sr3w{color:#727272;}Review | The President’s Cake: Cannes-winning Iraqi drama is an instant classic

Hasan Hadi’s profound film follows a young Iraqi girl trying to find ingredients for a cake to celebrate Saddam Hussein’s birthday.

US plan to allow Turkey back into F-35 jet scheme faces Israeli opposition

Turkey was ejected from the American F-35 programme in 2019 after it bought Russian air-defence systems.

Crowds of mourners gather in Tehran for Khamenei funeral procession

Iranians come out to see Ali Khamenei’s flag-draped coffin, and those of his family killed in a February 28 air strike.

Thousands gather in Iran as Khamenei funeral ceremonies begin

Six days of funeral ceremonies are planned to commemorate Ali Khamenei, who ruled Iran from 1989 until his killing aged 86 on February 28.

Video | Iranians gather in Tehran ahead of Khamenei’s funeral

While Islamic law requires swift burials, exceptions are made in times of war.

Iranian leaders pay respects at Khamenei’s coffin as funeral begins

Delayed by months of conflict, Iran prepares to bury its slain supreme leader with a week of mass mourning.

Gulf states in a bind over Iran’s grip on Hormuz, US troop removal talks

Analysts say GCC members face an uncertain ‘new normal’, prompting them to expand outreach to Tehran for long-term peace.

Iran prepares funeral for late supreme leader killed on war’s first day

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s public funeral will begin Saturday as Iran and the US observe a fragile ceasefire.

14 million barrels of stranded Iraq oil travels through Strait of Hormuz

Meanwhile, US envoys Steve ‌Witkoff and Jared Kushner are in Qatar to discuss the Middle East conflict with mediators.

As I see it | Despite immense power, the US delivers neither butter nor bullets

Review | The President’s Cake: Cannes-winning Iraqi drama is an instant classic