Iraq

Iraqi parliment appoints Kurdish Nizar Amedi as new president

The decision to elect Nizar Amedi could have ramifications for Iraq, given that Amedi is Kurdish and was supported by the Kurdish PUK party, which is considered friendly to Iran.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Iraq’s newly elected president Nizar Amedi attends a parliamentary session in Baghdad, Iraq, April 11, 2026.
US JOURNALIST Shelly Kittleson is pictured in Baghdad on March 31, shortly before she was abducted. Her disappearance has focused attention on the threat posed by Iran-backed militias and the deteriorating security environment in postwar Iraq.

Iraq’s militia state: Shelly Kittleson’s kidnapping exposes who runs Baghdad

BEHIND THE LINES: Since October 2023, forces associated with the PMF – that is, affiliated with the government of Iraq – engaged in ongoing attacks against US personnel and positions.

|ByJONATHAN SPYER
Smoke rises from southern Lebanon following Israeli airstrikes, April 11, 2026.

Netanyahu: Israel's campaign against Iran 'not over yet,' as US-Iran ceasefire talks to continue

CENTCOM clears underwater mines in Hormuz • Lebanese PM will not attend DC negotiations • IDF soldier severely injured in operational accident in Gaza

|ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Smoke rises after an explosion at the US Embassy compound in Baghdad, Iraq, following a rocket and drone attack, according to security sources, March 17, 2026.

US summons Iraqi ambassador over drone strike on diplomatic facility in Baghdad

Separately, Kuwait condemned what it described as drone attacks by Iran and its proxies targeting vital facilities in the country, calling the strikes a violation of its sovereignty.

|ByREUTERS

Saudi Arabia downs dozens of Iranian drones targeting kingdom's Eastern Region on Tuesday

Saudi Arabia downed dozens of Iranian drones on Tuesday, while the UAE intercepted 17 drones and five missiles. Bahrain also reported a fire caused by "Iranian aggression."

MARCH 24, 2026ByJAMES GENN
A Shahed-136 drone on display at the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force achievements exhibition in Qom, Iran, 2023; illustrative.

Iranian-backed militias claim 30 killed, wounded in US airstrikes on base

Up to 30 fighters from Iran-backed PMF were reportedly killed or wounded in US airstrikes on their base in Anbar province, Iraq, including operations commander Saad Dawai.

MARCH 24, 2026BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
A funeral ceremony is held at Al-Hussein Al-Askari Hospital for members of Popular Mobilization Forces who were killed in an attack in Al Anbar Province near the Syria border in Baghdadi Iraq on March 16, 2026.

Iran-backed militias strike Kurdistan, killing Peshmerga in northern Iraq

Iran and its militias struck northern Iraq, killing six Peshmerga and wounding 19, as attacks on the Kurdistan Region escalate amid the wider Middle East conflict.

MARCH 24, 2026BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Kurdistan Regional Government Peshmerga at a mountain outpost. September 19, 2019.

Saudi Arabia intercepts Iranian drones, US sends Iran 15-point proposal for ending war

Drone attack hits fuel tank at Kuwait International Airport • Trump approval hits new low • Defense Minister confirms plan to annex southern Lebanon

MARCH 24, 2026ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Israeli srcurity and rescue forces inspect the damage at the scene where a missile fired from Iran toward Israel caused damage in Bnei Brak, central Israel, March 24, 2026.

Iranian-backed militias fire rockets from Iraq at Syrian base

Rockets launched from Iraq targeted a Syrian Army base in Hasakah, with Iranian-backed militias suspected behind the cross-border attack.

MARCH 23, 2026BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
A Syrian government soldier stands outside SDF controlled Al Aktan prison which holds ISIS detainees, as the Syrian amry takes possession of the nearby SDF military base in the city of Raqa on January 19, 2026.

Why did Iranian-backed militia in Iraq extend ‘ceasefire’?

Kataib Hezbollah has extended its ceasefire on US targets in Iraq for five days, warning foreign forces to leave while US Iran talks continue.

MARCH 23, 2026BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
A flag of Iraq's pro-Iran paramilitary group Hezbollah Brigades (Kataib Hezbollah), flutters against the backdrop of people taking a swing ride at an amusement park during Eid al-Fitr celebrations, marking the end of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan, in Baghdad on March 21, 2026.

Iran threatens US, Israeli infrastructure over energy strikes

"If the enemy attacks fuel and energy infrastructure, all energy, information technology, and desalination infrastructure belonging to the US and the regime in the region will be targeted," Iran said.

MARCH 21, 2026ByJAMES GENN, REUTERS
Commander-in-Chief of the Iranian Army, Amir Hatami speaks during a meeting with military academy students, in Tehran, Iran, in this handout image obtained on January 7, 2026.

Iranian-backed militias strike Iraqi intelligence service in Baghdad escalation

Reports indicate that the militias have also struck Iraq’s intelligence service in Baghdad, injuring personnel at the site.

MARCH 21, 2026BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Members of the Iraqi armed group Kataib Hezbollah attend the funeral of their members, who were killed in an airstrike that targeted a Hashd al‑Shaabi headquarters near the western al‑Qaim district on the Syrian border, amid the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran, in Baghdad, Iraq, March 2, 2026.

In Iraq, Iran’s proxy militias open a third front in war against the US and Israel

BEHIND THE LINES: Statistics indicate that a determined Iranian and allied campaign is indeed underway in Iraq, making the country a third front in the current war.

MARCH 21, 2026ByJONATHAN SPYER
FIRE RAGES outside the grounds of the US Embassy headquarters in Baghdad’s fortified ‘Green Zone’ earlier this week, following a drone and rocket attack according to security officials. Iraq was drawn into the Middle East war after having long been a proxy battleground between the US and Iran.

NATO withdraws troops from Iraq mission to Europe as Iran war rages

A NATO official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the mission amounted to "several hundred" troops.

MARCH 21, 2026ByREUTERS
A TURKISH soldier stands guard as army and security personnel search a field after a piece of ammunition fell following the interception of a missile launched from Iran by a NATO air defence system, in Diyarbakir, Turkey, March 9, 2026.