Iraq

Iraq retracts terror label for Hezbollah, Houthis, cites publication error

Iraq's government on Thursday retracted a terror designation for Lebanon's militant Hezbollah group and Yemen's Houthi rebels, just weeks after imposing the measure it now says was a mistake. The government's retraction came hours after reports first circulated about the designation, which was an error made before reviewing," according to a statement. The initial decision, published in the official Iraqi gazette on November 17, had placed the two groups both allies of Iran and also Iraq's Shiite militias among 24 organisations targeted under a national asset freeze order, accusing them of participating in committing a terrorist act. Iraq is under increasing pressure from the United States to clamp down on local Iran-backed militias. Baghdad is also struggling to balance its relations with Washington and Tehran, amid fears of a new Israel-Iran war that could spill over into neighbouring countries. The names of Hezbollah and the Houthis will be removed" in a corrected publication o

West Asia raises toast to Indian teas, offsets export losses to Russia, US

Significant gains were made in China, with exports soaring to 9.64 mkg compared to 3.31 mkg last year

US Senate unanimously endorses repeal of 2002 Iraq war resolution

More than two decades later, Congress is on the verge of writing a closing chapter to the war in Iraq. The Senate voted Thursday to repeal the resolution that authorised the 2003 US invasion, following a House vote last month that would return the basic war power to Congress. The amendment by Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, a Democrat, and Indiana Sen. Todd Young, a Republican, was approved by voice vote to an annual defence authorisation bill that passed the Senate late Thursday a unanimous endorsement for ending the war that many now view as a mistake. Iraqi deaths were estimated in the hundreds of thousands, and nearly 5,000 US troops were killed in the war after President George W. Bush's administration falsely claimed that then-President Saddam Hussein was stockpiling weapons of mass destruction. That's the way the war ends, not with a bang but a whimper, Kaine said after the vote, which lasted only a few seconds with no debate and no objections. Still, he said, America is forever .

TotalEnergies launches final phase of $27 bn Iraq energy project

The project aims to boost Iraq's oil, gas and power production, reduce imports from neighbouring Iran and lure back foreign investors

Iraq's PM Al-Sudani seeks closer US ties while keeping armed groups at bay

The prime minister of Iraq has kept his country on the sidelines as military conflicts raged nearby for almost two years. This required balancing Iraq's relations with two countries vital to his power and enemies with each other: the US and Iran. The feat became especially difficult last month when war broke out between Israel, a US ally, and Iran and the US struck Iranian nuclear sites. Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said he used a mix of political and military pressure to stop armed groups aligned with Iran from entering the fray. In an exclusive interview with The Associated Press, Al-Sudani explains how he did this, how he plans to keep these groups in check going forward and as he seeks a second term why he wants to get closer to the Trump administration, even as he maintains strong ties to Iran-backed political parties that helped propel him to power in 2022. Staying on the sidelines as Israel and Iran traded blows After Israel launched airstrikes on Iran and it responded by firi

Iraq confirms drone attack 'findings' without naming who targeted its bases

Drones used to attack military bases in Iraq during the recent Israel-Iran war were manufactured outside Iraq but were launched inside its territory, according to the decisive findings of an investigation published on Friday. The report of an investigative committee formed under the directive of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani did not identify who was behind the attacks that targeted radar and air defense systems last month. The attacks on several military bases, including some housing US troops, damaged radar systems at Camp Taji, north of Baghdad, and at Imam Ali Base in Dhi Qar province. Iraqi army spokesperson Sabah Al-Naaman said the investigation had reached decisive findings. He said the drones used were manufactured outside Iraq but were launched from locations inside Iraqi territory. All drones used in the attacks were of the same type, indicating that a single actor was behind the entire campaign, he said. Al-Naaman said the investigation had identified the entiti

Over 60 killed in massive fire at newly opened mall in eastern Iraq

A fire at a newly opened mall in eastern Iraq's Wasit province killed more than 60 people, including women and children, Iraqi officials said Thursday. Iraq's Ministry of Interior said in a statement that 61 people died, most of them from suffocation, in the fire that broke out late Wednesday in the city of Kut. Among the dead were 14 charred bodies that remain unidentified, it said. Civil defence teams were able to rescue more than 45 people who were trapped inside the building, the statement said. The mall, which had opened only a week earlier, was in a five-story building that also contained a restaurant and supermarket. The state-run Iraqi News Agency reported that people remained missing. Photographs and videos on local media showed the building fully engulfed in flames. Provincial Gov Mohammed al-Mayyeh in a statement declared three days of mourning. He said the cause of the fire is under investigation but that legal cases were filed against the building owner and mall owner

Drones strike three oil fields in northern Iraq's Kurdistan region

Two drones attacked the DNO ASA-operated Peshkabir field around 6am local time, the Directorate General of Counter Terrorism in Kurdistan said in a statement

Drone strike halts US oil firm's work at Sarsang field in Iraqi Kurdistan

A drone strike hit the Sarsang oil field in Iraqi Kurdistan, prompting US firm HKN Energy to suspend operations. The regional government condemned it as terrorism targeting vital infrastructure

Trump imposes up to 30% tariffs on six nations including Iraq, Philippines

Trump said trade talks have been going well with China and the European Union, which is the biggest bilateral trading partner of the US

World Bank approves over $1 bn for infra projects in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon

The World Bank said on Wednesday it approved over USD 1 billion dollars for infrastructure and reconstruction projects in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. The biggest amount went to Iraq, where the World Bank approved USD 930 million to help improve the country's railway infrastructure, boost domestic trade, create jobs and diversify the economy. The World Bank said the Iraq Railways Extension and Modernisation Project will improve services and increase freight capacity between the Umm Qasr Port on the Persian gulf in southern Iraq to the northern city of Mosul. As Iraq shifts from reconstruction to development, enhanced trade and connectivity can stimulate growth, create jobs, and reduce oil dependency," said Jean-Christophe Carret, director of the World Bank's Middle East division. The World Bank also approved for war-torn Syria a USD 146 million grant to help restore reliable, affordable electricity and support the country's economic recovery. It said the Syria Electricity Emergency ...

Iran targets US military bases in Qatar; India issues advisory to citizens

Iran fired missiles at US bases in Qatar and Iraq following American airstrikes. Qatar intercepted the attack, reported no casualties, and condemned the strike as a breach of its sovereignty

US urges citizens to avoid Iraq travel amid rising Iran-Israel conflict

Amid the Iran-Israel conflict, the US warns citizens not to travel to Iraq due to terrorism, kidnapping, and armed conflict, citing extreme risks and limited embassy support

Prisons at double their capacity as amnesty law takes effect: Iraq minister

As a general amnesty law takes effect in Iraq, the country's prisons are facing a crisis of overcrowding, housing more than double their intended capacity, the country's justice minister said in an interview. Justice Minister Khaled Shwani told The Associated Press on Saturday that Iraq's 31 prisons currently hold approximately 65,000 inmates, despite the system being built to accommodate only half that number. He acknowledged that the overcrowding has put a severe strain on prison healthcare and human rights standards. When we took office, overcrowding stood at 300%," he said. "After two years of reform, we've reduced it to 200%. Our goal is to bring that down to 100% by next year in line with international standards. Thousands more detainees remain in the custody of security agencies but have not yet been transferred to the Ministry of Justice due to lack of prison capacity. Four new prisons are under construction, Shwani said, while three have been closed in recent years. Two ..

Before Trump's tariffs, there was Bush's war wagon: How India deflected it

As Donald Trump pressures India to align with his tariff policy, here's recounting how New Delhi navigated a similar situation with another US President over 20 years ago

ISIS chief killed in Iraq, Trump says fugitive leader 'hunted down'

Abdallah Maki Mosleh al-Rifai, or "Abu Khadija," was "deputy caliph" of the militant group and "one of the most dangerous terrorists in Iraq and the world," CNN reported

Iraq's displaced Kurds hope to return as Turkiye's militants halt fight

Iraqi Kurdish villagers, displaced by fighting between Turkish forces and Kurdish militants that has played out for years in northern Iraq, are finally allowing themselves to hope they will soon be able to go home. Their hopes were raised after the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, on Saturday declared a ceasefire in the 40-year insurgency against the Turkish government, answering a call to disarm from earlier in the week by the group's leader, Abdullah Ocalan, imprisoned in Turkiye since 1999. The truce if implemented could not only be a turning point in neighbouring Turkey but could also bring much needed stability to the volatile region spanning the border between the two countries. In northern Iraq, Turkish forces have repeatedly launched blistering offensives over the past years, pummeling PKK fighters who have been hiding out in sanctuaries in Iraq's northern semi-autonomous Kurdish region, and have set up bases in the area. Scores of villages have been completely emptied of

Former Iraqi prime minister returns to Baghdad despite security threats

Former Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, known for promoting the rule of law, returned to Baghdad Tuesday for the first time in more than two years despite ongoing security threats. In 2021, he survived an assassination attempt in which two armed drones targeted his residence in Baghdad's Green Zone area. The attack came at a time of tensions sparked by the refusal of Iran-backed militias to accept parliamentary election results. Al-Kadhimi left Iraq after his term as prime minister ended in 2022 and has been living in London and the United Arab Emirates. The former prime minister did not immediately make any public statements upon his return. Three officials with his office who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak publicly said security threats against the former prime minister were still present. They said he had returned at the invitation of current Iraqi political leaders who hoped he could use his connections to help them confront a

Oil exports from Kurdish region by way of Turkey set to resume: Iraq

Iraq's oil ministry has announced the resumption of oil exports from northern Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish region. The exports had been halted for nearly two years after the International Chamber of Commerce sided with Iraq in an arbitration case as a long-standing dispute over the independent export of oil by the Kurdish regional government. The ministry said in a statement on Saturday that it had completed the necessary procedures to restart shipments through Turkey's Ceyhan port. It said that exports will resume in accordance with federal budget regulations and Iraq's OPEC production quota, according to the "agreed-upon framework". The ministry urged the Kurdish region's authorities to transfer crude oil extracted from the region's oil fields to the State Organisation for Marketing of Oil, facilitating its exports via the Iraq-Turkey pipeline. "We call on the regional authorities to deliver the produced quantities in line with signed contracts to ensure smooth operations," i

Blinken meets Iraqi PM to discuss Syria's future, threat of 'Islamic State'

The Secretary of State underscored the US' commitment to Iraq's security, stability, and sovereignty