double-skinned crabsVietnamese crab exporter
Advertisement
Advertisement
Iraq
TOPIC
 / location

Iraq

Iraq
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
Members of the Iraqi security forces stand next to a convoy moving through the city as they celebrate the withdrawal of US-led coalition forces from Iraq in Najaf, Iraq, on Wednesday. Photo: Reuters
A convoy moving through the city celebrating the withdrawal of US-led coalition forces from Iraq in Najaf on Wednesday, ending a military presence that began after the 2003 US-led invasion. Photo: Reuters
War and conflict

US ends troop mission in Iraq, Baghdad to celebrate Sovereignty Day on October 1

Some fear pro-Iran armed groups could expand in Iraq with the withdrawal of a US-led coalition originally deployed to fight Islamic State.

Middle East

US forces set to complete exit from Iraq after 2 decades

US, Israel war on Iran

US set to grant sanctions waiver for Iran-Iraq pilgrim flights

videocam
Middle East

Turkey to hand over military base to Iraq

Ankara established the facility in Bashiqa in 2015 and deployed up to 600 soldiers there, sparking tensions with Baghdad.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi (left) shakes hands with Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in New York on Wednesday. Photo: Iraqi Prime Minister’s Media Office via Reuters
2026 Xi-Trump summits

Exclusive | Word to the wise on organising a Chinese leader’s US visit

Ex-senior US intelligence official Dennis Wilder reflects on his experience of Hu Jintao’s 2006 White House visit ahead of Xi-Trump meeting.

5
South Korea

‘No deployment for war’: South Korea rejects US request for Iran support

President Lee Jae Myung has drawn a firm line against sending troops or assets to the Middle East, defying pressure from Washington.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
US, Israel war on Iran

US pivot leaves Saudi Arabia with ‘humiliating dilemma’ over Houthis

Riyadh is now working frantically to build a coalition to protect shipping in the Red Sea and defend the kingdom against Houthi attacks.

videocam
22
Firefighters inspect damage to a building caused by falling debris from a reported Houthi drone intercepted over Taif province, western Saudi Arabia, on Thursday. Photo: Saudi Press Agency / AP
A car is damaged by a reported Houthi drone attack over Taif, Saudi Arabia. Photo: Saudi Press Agency / AFP
A building is damaged by shrapnel from a reported Houthi drone in Taif on Thursday. Photo: Saudi Press Agency / AFP
Qatar

Iranian and Saudi panellists spar at Xiangshan Forum over Middle East attacks

Verbal battle erupts at security conference over Tehran’s targeting of US bases in Saudi Arabia.

videocam
7
US, Israel war on Iran

Price of Epic Fury: Iran war’s toll on US bases, weapons and more

Pentagon inspector general offers an official accounting of the war’s costs in expended US munitions and damages.

US, Israel war on Iran

Saudi pipeline that bypasses Hormuz shut after attacks

The kingdom said the East-West pipeline was targeted by drones launched from Iraq, causing several injuries.

A satellite image shows black smoke rising from an area of Saudi Arabia’s East-West oil pipeline south of Medina, Hejaz Region, on Thursday. Image: Copernicus Sentinel-3 via Reuters
United States

Americans mark 25 years since 9/11 attacks amid enduring grief, reflection

Nearly 3,000 people were killed on the day that has shaped US society for decades, influencing its foreign policy and domestic politics.

Flowers are left at the memorial during the 25th anniversary commemoration of the September 11 attacks in New York on Friday. Photo: AFP
United States

On This Day | America faces ‘darkest hour’ as 9/11 attacks unfold in 2001 – SCMP archive

Two hijacked planes destroyed the World Trade Centre on September 11, 2001, leaving thousands dead and a nation in shock.

21
South Korea

Caught between US and Iran, South Korea weighs Hormuz role

Seoul is sending a fact-finding mission to the UAE as it balances Washington’s security requests with warnings of Iranian retaliation.

Asian cinema: Chinese films

Review | Once Upon a Time in the Middle East: Shen Teng leads anti-war blockbuster

Full of roaring action and heart-wrenching tension, this mainland China hit delivers a message of peace through Chinese cooking appreciation.

videocam
Shen Teng in a still from Once Upon a Time in the Middle East (category IIB; Chinese, English, Arabic), directed by Wen Muye. Jiang Qiming and Omar Sherif co-star.
US, Israel war on Iran

US probes deadly strike on Iran wedding that experts link to US munition

Vice-President J.D. Vance says Washington is investigating reported attack ‘because obviously we care’.

The point of impact on a residence in Kuhestak, southern Iran, where the wedding celebration was taking place. Photo: Tasnim News Agency via AP
US, Israel war on Iran

Iran targets US bases in Kuwait despite warnings from Trump

Iran launches missiles and drones at Gulf neighour following US strikes that killed at least 19.

Pacific nations

Exclusive | New Zealand ‘must never be seen as a proxy’, former PM Helen Clark warns

Calling the US Pacific strategy a ‘game of bluff’, Clark urges Wellington to defend its independent foreign policy tradition.

videocam
14
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
United States

US Army Secretary Driscoll resigns after rifts in Pentagon leadership

Top civilian official’s departure marks the latest leadership upheaval following reported tensions with Pete Hegseth.

Dan Driscoll's departure is the latest in a series of resignations and firings within the US military. Photo: AP
US, Israel war on Iran

Trump declares ‘Mission Accomplished’ in Iran, as conflict drags on

US president’s claim evokes George W. Bush’s premature declaration about the US invasion of Iraq in 2003.

31
US, Israel war on Iran

US starts returning staff to some Middle East missions after war evacuations

US move signals lower risk of immediate regional escalation, though select missions will cap capacity at 75 to 85 per cent.

US, Israel war on Iran

‘We’re paying the price’: Iran fury makes US a liability for some Kuwaitis

‘Targeting locations where the Americans are stationed has created fear and anxiety among residents,’ a Kuwaiti national says.

videocam
Smoke rises from a reported Iranian strike in the area where the US embassy is located in Kuwait City, Kuwait, on March 2. Photo: AFP
US, Israel war on Iran

Iran condemns US plans to announce new sanctions

Warning that nations joining the US ‘economic war’ would be deemed enemies, Iran said the move could affect trading partners including China.

10
The Iranian newspaper Jame-Jam with a cartoon of US President Donald Trump, the title reading in Persian “Duplicated Sanctions version”, outside a kiosk in Tehran, Iran on Saturday. Photo: EPA
Mainland China

What does a hit film about the Iraq war say about Chinese views of the world?

Once Upon a Time in the Middle East has been co-opted into an ongoing soft power drive to promote Beijing’s message internationally.

videocam
13
Saudi Arabia

Russia’s role in Middle East politics endures, shifts to being ‘secondary power’

Two Russian military bases will remain in Syria as the region continues to recalibrate its relations with major powers amid the Iran war.

Saudi Arabia

How Saudi-Turkey-Pakistan pact acts as ‘insurance’ over US disengagement

The Mecca deal may emerge as a third geopolitical ‘centre of gravity’ in the Middle East, with more members joining, analysts say.

videocam
8
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (centre), flanked by Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (left) and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, signing a joint defence agreement in Mecca on Friday. Photo: Turkish Presidency Press Office/AFP
US, Israel war on Iran

How US became trapped in ‘dreadful situation’ of its own making over Iran war

With Iran holding firm to its grip on the Strait of Hormuz, Trump faces one of two choices: capitulate or risk a ‘forever war’, experts say.

videocam
44
US President Donald Trump addresses the nation from the East Room of the White House on July 16. Photo: Getty Images
US, Israel war on Iran

US embassies urge citizens to consider departing Middle East

The warning by embassies including those in the UAE, Qatar, Israel, Oman and Bahrain came after Trump threatened to hit Iran ‘very hard’.

videocam
5
United States

As I see it | Despite immense power, the US delivers neither butter nor bullets

While Americans know they can’t get the welfare benefits they need, their leaders must realise their military can’t give them world domination.

videocam
5
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.
SUPPORT NOW
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement