Irak

Kidnapped Academic Elizabeth Tsurkov Released in Iraq

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and US President Donald Trump announced Tuesday the release of Israeli-Russian academic Elizabeth Tsurkov who was kidnapped in Baghdad in March 2023. While Iraq said a "group of outlaws" kidnapped Tsurkov, Trump announced she was released by the powerful pro-Iran Kataeb Hezbollah group. "As a ...

Iraq Denies any Role in Sanctioned Iran Oil Smuggling

Iraqi authorities denied on Friday that the country had played any part in Iranian efforts to evade US sanctions on oil exports after Washington last month linked a local businessman to the practice. In early July, the US State Department sanctioned six entities and identified four vessels as having "knowingly engaged in a significant transaction ...

Drone Attack Shuts Iraq Oil Field Run by US Company

A drone strike forced a US company to suspend operations at an oil field in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region Tuesday, amid a wave of similar attacks targeting the region's energy infrastructure. The Kurdistan natural resources ministry said the Sarsang oil field in Duhok province was hit, calling the strike "an act of terrorism against the ...

Drone Shot Down Near Iraqi Airport Hosting US Troops: Security Forces

A drone was intercepted late on Thursday near Arbil airport, which houses US-led anti-jihadist coalition troops in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, Kurdish security forces said. "At 21:58 (1858 GMT) an explosive-packed drone was downed near Arbil International Airport, without causing casualties or damage," said the ...

Iraq's top Shiite Cleric warns Against any Targeting of Iran's Leadership 

Iraq's top Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani warned against targeting Iran's leadership and said that the Iran-Israel war could plunge the whole region into chaos. Sistani said in a statement Thursday that any targeting of Iran's "supreme religious and political leadership" would have "dire consequences on the region". He warned that it ...

Lebanon Tops Arab Region in Reliance on Private Generators

In Lebanon, electricity has become synonymous with the rumble of private generators. According to recent regional media reports, the country ranks first in the Arab world for dependence on private generators, with a staggering 90% of the population relying on them for power. This widespread use highlights the depth of Lebanon’s chronic ...

French FM Makes First Visit to Iraq

France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot will meet officials in Baghdad on Wednesday as part of a regional tour to push for a two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. In a statement, the French foreign ministry said that Barrot, who will also visit Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, is on a tour to help "prepare for the ...