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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 (bottom right) shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping upon arriving at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on May 14. Photo: Reuters

US-China relations

As I see it | Beijing had already won before the Trump-Xi summit even started

There’s a lesson for the US president in Napoleon’s invasion of Russia in the early 19th century.

5 hours agovideocam

Vietnam

Vietnam asks US to let crucial oil tanker slip past Hormuz blockade

13 May 2026 - 11:42AMvideocam

US, Israel war on Iran

US tells banks to flag suspected Iranian money-laundering networks

12 May 2026 - 11:04AM

Australia

Australia warns of arrests as 13 people linked to Isis set to return from Syria

The four women and nine children, who had been living in Roj camp in Syria, are expected to land in Sydney and Melbourne on Thursday.

6 May 2026 - 12:52PMvideocam

Members of Australian families at Roj camp prepare to leave for Damascus as part of a second repatriation effort by Syrian authorities on April 24. Photo: AP

Middle East

‘Structural shift’: new routes for Middle East freight to bypass Hormuz

Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the UAE lead a push for a new trade architecture with multiple nodes linking the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea.

3 May 2026 - 10:30AM

US, Israel war on Iran

Why UAE’s exit from Opec is good news for oil-thirsty Asia

Once free of Opec’s production caps, the world’s sixth-largest oil producer plans to flood the market with 5 million barrels a day.

29 Apr 2026 - 11:23AMvideocam

US, Israel war on Iran

UAE to leave Opec after 6 decades, oil cartel unity questioned

Abu Dhabi, long at odds over quotas, says exit will free output as experts point to Saudi rift and push to boost production.

29 Apr 2026 - 9:11AMvideocam

The United Arab Emirates has announced it will be leaving the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and Opec+ from May 1. Photo: EPA

Diplomacy

Opinion | 122 years on, Mackinder’s ‘heartland’ remains geopolitically decisive

Conflicts in Ukraine and Iran have returned strategic focus to the idea of Eurasia as central to the global power contest, challenging the viability of the Indo-Pacific pivot.

27 Apr 2026 - 7:29AMvideocam

War and conflict

Opinion | Blinding the world with lies makes peacemaking an impossible task

From Iran to the Horn of Africa, disinformation is killing diplomacy. Mediators need facts, not state-sponsored fictions.

25 Apr 2026 - 11:00AM

Middle East

Letters | Iran war is not just a short-term energy disruption

Readers discuss a possible motivation behind the war, Pakistan’s role as a mediator, and Republican silence in the face of the US president’s actions.

16 Apr 2026 - 11:30AM

Smoke and flames rise at the site of airstrikes on an oil depot in Tehran on March 7, 2026. Photo: AFP/Getty Images/TNS

Middle East

Abducted US journalist released by Iraqi armed group, Rubio says

Iran-backed militia frees Shelly Kittleson with a warning that the move ‘will not be repeated’.

8 Apr 2026 - 10:25AM

Shelly Kittleson in a video released April 7 by a social media outlet close to Kataib Hezbollah. Photo: Reuters

China-EU relations

China, Europe and why Beijing took a swing at Iran over the Strait of Hormuz

Beijing takes a stand at the United Nations at the closure of shipping lanes.

3 Apr 2026 - 8:00PMvideocam

United States

Hegseth ousts army’s top uniformed officer, even as US wages war on Iran

Chief of Staff Randy George has been asked to take early retirement, in the latest of over a dozen firings of top generals and admirals.

3 Apr 2026 - 6:55AMvideocam

Japan

Japan’s PM will mull top-level talks with Iran at ‘appropriate’ time

Stability in the Middle East is vital for Japan, which relies on the region for over 90 per cent of its crude oil imports.

30 Mar 2026 - 9:54PMvideocam

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi ‘s comments come as prospects for a US-Iran meeting mediated by Pakistan remain uncertain. Photo: AFP

Israel-Gaza war

Netanyahu says Israel will widen its invasion of southern Lebanon

The PM said Israel would expand what he called the ‘existing security strip’ in Lebanon as Israeli forces continue to target Hezbollah.

30 Mar 2026 - 1:59AMvideocam

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Photo: Reuters

Pakistan

Regional diplomats gather in Pakistan for talks to end Iran war

Foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt were taking part in the talks as the US kept up strikes on Iran.

30 Mar 2026 - 1:30PMvideocam

US, Israel war on Iran

Trump’s Iran gamble falters as war drags on amid concerns of long-term chaos

With Iran emboldened despite US and Israeli strikes, analysts warn of the ‘permanent risk of repeated disruption’ for the global economy.

28 Mar 2026 - 3:53PM

US, Israel war on Iran

Israel launches strikes on Iran with no sign of diplomatic breakthrough

Israeli jets hit Tehran’s missile hubs while more US troops head to the Middle East.

27 Mar 2026 - 4:45PMvideocam

Iranian missiles in a park in Tehran, for show. Photo: West Asia News Agency

US, Israel war on Iran

Iran rejects US ceasefire plan, has own demands to end fighting

Trump claimed Iranian leaders are ‘afraid’ to admit they want a deal after Tehran’s foreign minister said ‘we do not plan on any negotiations’.

26 Mar 2026 - 11:17AM

US, Israel war on Iran

Iran fires missiles across Middle East after Trump claims progress in talks

Iran says it targeted Israel as well as US bases in the Gulf after a reported 15-point US ceasefire plan emerged.

25 Mar 2026 - 9:20PMvideocam

China-Middle East relations

Opinion | When it comes to the Persian Gulf, China’s top priority is economics

Beijing’s refusal to pick sides between Iran and other Gulf states affirms its strategic positioning rather than a desire to shift paradigms.

24 Mar 2026 - 9:30AMvideocam

US, Israel war on Iran

Not like Venezuela: why Iran is likely to survive US-Israeli strikes

Islamic Republic’s government is expected to prove resilient despite attacks that have targeted many of its top leaders.

23 Mar 2026 - 10:10PM

Many of Iran’s senior leaders have been killed. Photo: Reuters

Middle East

US hub in Iraq targeted overnight by Iranian drones, rockets

The Baghdad diplomatic and logistics hub is located in the international airport complex, which has been repeatedly targeted by Iran since February 28.

22 Mar 2026 - 8:25PM

US, Israel war on Iran

Iran war nears 3-front tipping point as Gulf energy hubs burn

Israeli strikes on the world’s largest gas field and Iranian attacks on Saudi and Qatari hubs threaten a global energy crisis.

21 Mar 2026 - 12:30PM

China energy security

Strait of Hormuz tensions rise as Iran reportedly charges ships for safe passage

Around 20,000 seafarers are still stuck in the Gulf as Tehran reportedly charges at least one tanker about US$2 million to pass through the strait.

20 Mar 2026 - 7:00PMvideocam

A liquefied petroleum gas tanker is anchored near the Strait of Hormuz, which remains almost entirely closed to shipping traffic amid the US-Israeli war on Iran. Photo: Photo: Reuters

South Korea

South Korea risks US rift over Iran’s Hormuz Strait squeeze

Any deal with Iran could undermine South Korea’s alliance with the US and their US$350 billion trade deal.

20 Mar 2026 - 8:10AMvideocam

South Koreans protest against US President Donald Trump’s request to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz in front of the US embassy in Seoul on Monday. Photo: TNS

US, Israel war on Iran

US has no end date for Iran war, strikes ‘very much on track’: Hegseth

Trump will be the one to decide when to stop, the defence secretary says, as Pentagon asks for US$200 billion in extra funding.

19 Mar 2026 - 11:52PM

Hong Kong economy

Hong Kong more attractive to talent amid Middle East tensions, labour chief says

Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun says fourth of imported workers from various schemes are foreign passport holders.

18 Mar 2026 - 9:59PM

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Iraq

.css-1pcrwvc{color:#2aa191;}As I see it | Beijing had already won before the Trump-Xi summit even started

There’s a lesson for the US president in Napoleon’s invasion of Russia in the early 19th century.

Vietnam asks US to let crucial oil tanker slip past Hormuz blockade

US tells banks to flag suspected Iranian money-laundering networks

Australia warns of arrests as 13 people linked to Isis set to return from Syria

The four women and nine children, who had been living in Roj camp in Syria, are expected to land in Sydney and Melbourne on Thursday.

‘Structural shift’: new routes for Middle East freight to bypass Hormuz

Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the UAE lead a push for a new trade architecture with multiple nodes linking the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea.

Why UAE’s exit from Opec is good news for oil-thirsty Asia

Once free of Opec’s production caps, the world’s sixth-largest oil producer plans to flood the market with 5 million barrels a day.

UAE to leave Opec after 6 decades, oil cartel unity questioned

Abu Dhabi, long at odds over quotas, says exit will free output as experts point to Saudi rift and push to boost production.

Opinion | 122 years on, Mackinder’s ‘heartland’ remains geopolitically decisive

Conflicts in Ukraine and Iran have returned strategic focus to the idea of Eurasia as central to the global power contest, challenging the viability of the Indo-Pacific pivot.

Opinion | Blinding the world with lies makes peacemaking an impossible task

From Iran to the Horn of Africa, disinformation is killing diplomacy. Mediators need facts, not state-sponsored fictions.

.css-19im5qg{color:#c79a00;}Letters | Iran war is not just a short-term energy disruption

Readers discuss a possible motivation behind the war, Pakistan’s role as a mediator, and Republican silence in the face of the US president’s actions.

Abducted US journalist released by Iraqi armed group, Rubio says

Iran-backed militia frees Shelly Kittleson with a warning that the move ‘will not be repeated’.

China, Europe and why Beijing took a swing at Iran over the Strait of Hormuz

Beijing takes a stand at the United Nations at the closure of shipping lanes.

Hegseth ousts army’s top uniformed officer, even as US wages war on Iran

Chief of Staff Randy George has been asked to take early retirement, in the latest of over a dozen firings of top generals and admirals.

Japan’s PM will mull top-level talks with Iran at ‘appropriate’ time

Stability in the Middle East is vital for Japan, which relies on the region for over 90 per cent of its crude oil imports.

Netanyahu says Israel will widen its invasion of southern Lebanon

The PM said Israel would expand what he called the ‘existing security strip’ in Lebanon as Israeli forces continue to target Hezbollah.

Regional diplomats gather in Pakistan for talks to end Iran war

Foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt were taking part in the talks as the US kept up strikes on Iran.

Trump’s Iran gamble falters as war drags on amid concerns of long-term chaos

With Iran emboldened despite US and Israeli strikes, analysts warn of the ‘permanent risk of repeated disruption’ for the global economy.

Israel launches strikes on Iran with no sign of diplomatic breakthrough

Israeli jets hit Tehran’s missile hubs while more US troops head to the Middle East.

Iran rejects US ceasefire plan, has own demands to end fighting

Trump claimed Iranian leaders are ‘afraid’ to admit they want a deal after Tehran’s foreign minister said ‘we do not plan on any negotiations’.

Iran fires missiles across Middle East after Trump claims progress in talks

Iran says it targeted Israel as well as US bases in the Gulf after a reported 15-point US ceasefire plan emerged.

Opinion | When it comes to the Persian Gulf, China’s top priority is economics

Beijing’s refusal to pick sides between Iran and other Gulf states affirms its strategic positioning rather than a desire to shift paradigms.

Not like Venezuela: why Iran is likely to survive US-Israeli strikes

Islamic Republic’s government is expected to prove resilient despite attacks that have targeted many of its top leaders.

US hub in Iraq targeted overnight by Iranian drones, rockets

The Baghdad diplomatic and logistics hub is located in the international airport complex, which has been repeatedly targeted by Iran since February 28.

Iran war nears 3-front tipping point as Gulf energy hubs burn

Israeli strikes on the world’s largest gas field and Iranian attacks on Saudi and Qatari hubs threaten a global energy crisis.

Strait of Hormuz tensions rise as Iran reportedly charges ships for safe passage

Around 20,000 seafarers are still stuck in the Gulf as Tehran reportedly charges at least one tanker about US$2 million to pass through the strait.

South Korea risks US rift over Iran’s Hormuz Strait squeeze

Any deal with Iran could undermine South Korea’s alliance with the US and their US$350 billion trade deal.

US has no end date for Iran war, strikes ‘very much on track’: Hegseth

Trump will be the one to decide when to stop, the defence secretary says, as Pentagon asks for US$200 billion in extra funding.

Hong Kong more attractive to talent amid Middle East tensions, labour chief says

Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun says fourth of imported workers from various schemes are foreign passport holders.

As I see it | Beijing had already won before the Trump-Xi summit even started

Letters | Iran war is not just a short-term energy disruption