Iran announced it will scale back cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), expressing deep dissatisfaction over what it views as the agency’s failure to condemn Israeli attacks on its nuclear facilities.

Australia qualified for next year's World Cup in North America while Oman ended Palestine's hopes of a first appearance at the finals with a last-gasp draw on Tuesday.

Baghdad, Iraq -- Iraq's water reserves are at their lowest in 80 years after a dry rainy season, a government official said Sunday, as its share from the Tigris and Euphrates rivers shrinks. Water is a major issue in the country of 46 million people undergoing a serious environmental crisis...

Hasan Hadi won the top prize for his childhood adventure under economic sanctions in "The President's Cake".

Iraq welcomed Monday the Kurdistan Workers' Party's (PKK) decision to disband and end its armed struggle against Turkey, saying it would strengthen regional stability.

Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani oversaw "the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding as part of a strategic cooperation framework with US energy firm GE Vernova, his office said, calling it "the largest and most advanced electricity generation initiative in Iraq's history."

The Iraqi census is scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, and will provide sorely needed up-to-date demographic data for the country which has an estimated population of around 44 million

The KDP is the largest party in the outgoing parliament, with 45 seats against 21 for the PUK. The KDP's majority was assured by an alliance with deputies elected via a quota reserved for Turkmen, Armenian and Christian minorities. Iraqi court rulings have reduced the number of seats in the Kurdish...

Tehran, Iran -- Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian will visit neighboring Iraq on Wednesday, state media reported Sunday, in what will be his first trip abroad since he took office in July.Pezeshkian will head a high-ranking Iranians delegation to Baghdad to meet senior Iraqi officials.The visit comes at the invitation of Iraq's...

Janājah, Iraq - Bare feet pressed against the rough trunk of a palm tree, his back supported by a metal and fabric harness, Ali Abed begins the climb to the dates above.In Iraq, the date palm and its bounty are national icons, but they are being battered by drought.Once known as...

Baghdad, Iraq -- An Iraqi criminal court on Tuesday issued arrest warrants for a businessman and a former government official wanted over their alleged involvement in stealing $2.5 billion of public funds.The scandal, dubbed the "heist of the century", sparked widespread anger in Iraq, which is ravaged by rampant corruption, unemployment...

US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were briefed on the attack, the White House said. "They discussed the steps we are taking to defend our forces and respond to any attack against our personnel in a manner and place of our choosing," it said in a statement.

Baghdad, Iraq -- Iraq signed an agreement with British energy giant British Petroleum on Thursday to develop four oil and gas fields in the northern province of Kirkuk.A memorandum of understanding was signed by Iraq's Oil Minister Hayan Abdel Ghani and BP's CEO Murray Auchincloss, Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani's media office...

Baghdad, Iraq -- Iraq said Sunday a new power line will bring electricity from Turkey to its northern provinces as authorities aim to diversify the country's energy sources to ease chronic power outages.The 115-kilometre (71-mile) line connects to the Kisik power station west of Mosul and will provide 300 megawatts from...

Baghdad, Iraq - As war rages in Gaza and threatens to spread to Lebanon, Iraqi militant groups warn they are ready to enter the fray against Israel and the United States.A field commander of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq said there would be "escalation for escalation" in the event of a...

As war rages in Gaza and threatens to spread to Lebanon, Iraqi militant groups warn they are ready to enter the fray against Israel and the United States.A field commander of the so-called Islamic Resistance in Iraq said there would be "escalation for escalation" in the event of a full-scale...

"More than 10 people were injured, mainly men from the Arbil civil defense," said the Iraqi civil defense in a statement.

Rumaylah, Iraq - Hussein Julood is taking legal action against British energy giant BP after he lost his son to leukaemia, which he alleges was caused by gas flaring at Iraq's largest oil field.The bereaved father, who lives near the Rumaila field in the southern province of Basra, is demanding...

Iraq has now become self-sufficient in liquid gas and the surplus is usually exported abroad, strengthening the Iraqi economy.

The Turkish leader met with Iraqi President Abdel Latif Rashid in Baghdad. He told Rashid that Turkey "had expectations of Iraq regarding the fight against the terrorist organization PKK, and that Iraq must be rid of all forms of terrorism", according to his office.

Rockets were fired late Sunday from northern Iraq at a military base in Syria housing a US-led coalition, according to Iraqi security forces.In response, the Iraqi forces launched a major search operation in northern Nineveh province and found the vehicle used in the attack, they said in a statement.It is...

The United States was among the first to cut ties with Assad over the repression of anti-government protests that sparked war in 2011, and many Western and Arab states also severed relations.

The Iraqi government, in collaboration with the Central Bank of Iraq, will provide support for local Iraqi banks through foreign institutions and banks.

TEHRAN, IRAN – Iran and Iraq will launch the first maritime passenger transport line within the next two months, an official at Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organization (PMO) said.The chief executive of the organization noted that an expert-level meeting was held by the Iraqi side with a focus on the...

Abu Dhabi, UAE -- AD Ports Group and the General Company for Ports of Iraq (GCPI) sign an agreement to establish a joint venture to develop Al-Faw Grand Port and its economic zone, as well as any future expansion. Furthermore, the agreement also encompasses the potential investment, management, and operation...

Vienna, Austria--The participants of the 53rd Meeting of the Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee (JMMC) of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies, OPEC+, agreed to keep current oil production levels unchanged.During the meeting which took place via videoconference today, the JMMC reviewed the crude oil production data...

"These banks excel not only in financial performance but also in adapting and innovating. Through partnerships with global entities like Mastercard and initiatives like the Trade Bank of Iraq's online banking system, accessibility to financial services has greatly improved," she added.

Baghdad, Iraq -- Iraq said Friday a power line would soon bring electricity from Jordan to the border area as authorities aim to diversify energy sources to ease the country's chronic outages.With its generating capacity ravaged by decades of conflict and underinvestment, Iraq has long relied on imports of both gas...

Stockholm, Sweden - An Iraqi refugee in Sweden who stoked international outrage by repeatedly desecrating the Quran last year said Wednesday he was leaving the country for neighboring Norway after Sweden revoked his residency permit.Salwan Momika, a Christian Iraqi who burned Qurans at a slew of protests in Sweden over the...

With dollars dominating the country's economy, Baghdad has imposed a series of restrictions on the use of American greenbacks domestically. At the end of 2022 the country's bankings sector also adopted the international financial messaging system known as SWIFT as part of the reforms, to help tackle money laundering and...

Washington, US – President Joe Biden will welcome Iraq's prime minister on April 15 for talks on the US troop presence, the White House announced on Friday, as tensions subside following US clashes with pro-Iran militias.It will mark the first trip to Washington by Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani, who took...

Tehran, Iran - Baghdad and Tehran are currently engaged in negotiations to facilitate the import of gas from Turkmenistan, with the Iraqi Minister of Electricity Luay Al-Khatteeb revealing that discussions are underway to utilize Iran's extensive network for the transportation of Turkmenistan's gas.Highlighting the challenges in establishing direct lines for...

Arbil, Iraq - A drone strike in northern Iraq killed a Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) commander, Kurdish authorities said, raising the death toll from strikes blamed on Turkey to three.Turkey often carries out ground and air operations in northern Iraq against positions of the PKK, which has waged a decades-long insurgency...

Beirut, Lebanon - Gunmen thought to be linked to the Islamic State group in Syria killed 18 people searching for truffles in the desert Wednesday, a war monitor said.More than 50 people remained missing after the attack that saw heavy clashes with pro-government forces, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said."Eighteen...

BAGHDAD, IRAQ – Economic growth of the country is projected to continue amid fiscal expansion, an International Monetary Fund (IMF) team said.The team said that medium-term vulnerabilities to oil price volatility have increased significantly.Growth in the non-oil sector has rebounded strongly in 2023 while inflation receded.Supported by increases in public...

Iraqi Kurds announced that polls to elect a new parliament in the autonomous region would be held in June, after they were postponed from February. The elections have been delayed several times because of differences between the two main parties in northern Iraq, the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Patriotic...

SAMAWAH, IRAQ – Far from the hustle and bustle of major cities, young Iraqis are increasingly taking advantage of a renewed sense of safety to explore the country's serene desert getaways.Sheltering amidst the golden dunes, Ghadanfar Abdallah and his friends gather around a flickering campfire in the Samawah desert south of...

London, UK- Controversial left-wing firebrand George Galloway was elected to the UK parliament on Friday after tapping into anger over the Israel-Hamas war in a chaotic by-election marred by anti-Semitism allegations.Galloway, 69, first became an MP in 1987 and will return to the House of Commons for the first time since...

Arbil, Iraq - A Turkish drone strike in northwestern Iraq killed two members of a group affiliated to Turkey's outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) Thursday, said Kurdish authorities.The fighters were members of the Sinjar Resistance Units, a group founded among the district's Yazidi community in response to occupation by the Islamic...

Oil spills in Iraq -- a country ravaged by decades of conflict, corruption and decaying infrastructure -- have contaminated farmland in the northern province, especially during the winter rains.

Tehran, Iran - Iran unveiled two new air defense systems on Saturday, state media reported, with tensions high in the Middle East amid the war in Gaza."The Arman anti-ballistic missile system and the Azarakhsh low-altitude air defense system, built by the ministry of defense, were unveiled this morning," the official IRNA...

According to the military spokesman for Iraq's prime minister, the discussions aim to schedule a timeline for a pullout of coalition forces from Iraq, leading to the end of its mission. He said the meetings will take place on a regular basis in order to achieve the commission's works as...

"The presence of US forces in our region has no justification," Raisi said in a Tehran ceremony ahead of the 45th anniversary of Iran's Islamic revolution on February 12.

The US forces targeted many positions in Syria and Iraq in retaliation for a drone attack on a base in Jordan that killed three US soldiers. The strikes, which targeted elite Iranian units and pro-Iranian militant groups, have led to fears that the ongoing war in Gaza could spiral into...

Washington, US - American forces shot down eight drones near Yemen and destroyed four more on the ground, the US military said on Saturday, announcing a series of incidents that took place the previous day.The strikes and shootdowns in and around Yemen came as American forces launched a wave of air raids...

The strikes hit "locations in the Akashat and Al-Qaim regions, including areas where our security forces are stationed", Awadi said. The United States carried out the strikes on Friday in retaliation for the killing of three US military personnel in a drone attack on a base close to Jordan's border...

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell called on all parties to avoid further escalation in the Middle East after US strikes on Iran-linked groups in Syria and Iraq. "Everybody should try to avoid that the situation becomes explosive," Borrell said at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels.

"The United States does not seek conflict in the Middle East or anywhere else in the world. But let all those who might seek to do us harm know this: If you harm an American, we will respond," US president Joe Biden said.

"Any (US) strike will result in an appropriate response," Al-Nujaba leader Akram al-Kaabi said in a statement, adding the group would continue its actions until its demands are met for US troops to leave Iraq and an end to Israel's war on Hamas in Gaza.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the 38-year-old de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, greeted Sheikh Meshal at the airport in Riyadh as trumpets played, 21 rounds were fired and the Saudi Falcons, the air force's aerobatics team, put on an air show, the official Saudi Press Agency reported.