TOPIC

/ location

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

US President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, on Friday. Photo: Reuters

US, Israel war on Iran

Trump declares ‘Mission Accomplished’ in Iran, as conflict drags on

US president’s claim evokes George W. Bush’s premature declaration about the US invasion of Iraq in 2003.

27 Aug 2026 - 11:49AM

US, Israel war on Iran

US starts returning staff to some Middle East missions after war evacuations

26 Aug 2026 - 8:59AM

US, Israel war on Iran

‘We’re paying the price’: Iran fury makes US a liability for some Kuwaitis

25 Aug 2026 - 6:35PMvideocam

US, Israel war on Iran

Iran condemns US plans to announce new sanctions

Warning that nations joining the US ‘economic war’ would be deemed enemies, Iran said the move could affect trading partners including China.

23 Aug 2026 - 6:10AM

The Iranian newspaper Jame-Jam with a cartoon of US President Donald Trump, the title reading in Persian “Duplicated Sanctions version”, outside a kiosk in Tehran, Iran on Saturday. Photo: EPA

Mainland China

What does a hit film about the Iraq war say about Chinese views of the world?

Once Upon a Time in the Middle East has been co-opted into an ongoing soft power drive to promote Beijing’s message internationally.

19 Aug 2026 - 9:00AMvideocam

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

The Mecca deal may emerge as a third geopolitical ‘centre of gravity’ in the Middle East, with more members joining, analysts say.

9 Aug 2026 - 4:00PMvideocam

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (centre), flanked by Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (left) and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, signing a joint defence agreement in Mecca on Friday. Photo: Turkish Presidency Press Office/AFP

US, Israel war on Iran

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

With Iran holding firm to its grip on the Strait of Hormuz, Trump faces one of two choices: capitulate or risk a ‘forever war’, experts say.

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

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 Army soldiers cross a floating bridge on the Imjin River during a joint river-crossing exercise with South Korea as a part of the Freedom Shield military exercise in Yeoncheon, South Korea, on March 20, 2025. Photo: AP

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

An explosion at an unknown location, during what the US military says are strikes on Iran. Photo: US Central Command via Reuters

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

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

Actress Cate Blanchett, a global goodwill ambassador for UNHCR, the UN’s refugee agency. Photo: Reuters

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, 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

US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before travelling to Dover Air Force Base to attend the dignified transfer of service members killed in Iranian strikes on Jordan. Photo: AFP

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

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

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

A US Marine in the Gulf of Oman. On Sunday, the US military reported the death of another US soldier, bringing the total US military death toll in the Iran war to 17. Photo: Sgt Joseph Helms / US Marine Corps / Navcent Public Affairs / AFP / Handout

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

Video footage released on Monday shows what the US military says is a strike in Iran. Photo: US Central Command Public Affairs via AFP

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

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

Baneen Ahmad Nayyef (kneeling) in a still from The President’s Cake (category IIA, Arabic), directed by Hasan Hadi. Waheed Thabet Khreibat and Sajad Mohamad Qasem co-star.

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

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

Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.

SUPPORT NOW

Iraq

Trump declares ‘Mission Accomplished’ in Iran, as conflict drags on

US president’s claim evokes George W. Bush’s premature declaration about the US invasion of Iraq in 2003.

US starts returning staff to some Middle East missions after war evacuations

‘We’re paying the price’: Iran fury makes US a liability for some Kuwaitis

Iran condemns US plans to announce new sanctions

Warning that nations joining the US ‘economic war’ would be deemed enemies, Iran said the move could affect trading partners including China.

What does a hit film about the Iraq war say about Chinese views of the world?

Once Upon a Time in the Middle East has been co-opted into an ongoing soft power drive to promote Beijing’s message internationally.

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

The Mecca deal may emerge as a third geopolitical ‘centre of gravity’ in the Middle East, with more members joining, analysts say.

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

With Iran holding firm to its grip on the Strait of Hormuz, Trump faces one of two choices: capitulate or risk a ‘forever war’, experts say.

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.

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