Major Gulf fighting resumes as US and Saudi strike Iran’s allies in Iraq

July 29, 2026 9:21 PM

Major Gulf fighting resumes as US and Saudi strike Iran’s allies in Iraq

The United States and Saudi Arabia jointly struck Iran-backed armed groups in Iraq on Wednesday, the first U.S. airstrikes in the Middle East since President Donald Trump suspended the U.S. bombing campaign against Iran last week. Iran, for its part, rejected an Omani proposal to jointly manage the Strait of Hormuz and said it had fired on ships in the strait and at U.S. bases in Jordan. The renewed combat and diplomatic setbacks pushed oil prices up for the first time since last week, signall...

A funeral ceremony is held in Baghdad, Iraq, on June 22, 2025, for Hac Abu Ali al-Khalil, the Iraqi bodyguard of former Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, along with his son Mehdi al-Khalil and Islamic Resistance leader Haydar al-Mousavi, who were killed in Israeli attacks targeting Iran.

July 29, 2026 5:51 PM

Explainer: Who are Iraq’s Iranian-backed armed groups?

The U.S. and Saudi Arabia have struck Iran-backed Shi'ite armed groups in Iraq, which the allies said were responsible for drone attacks on Saudi oil facilities. The attacks have put the spotlight on the militias that wield enormous political and military power in Iraq. HOW DID THE MILITIAS BECOME INFLUENTIAL IN IRAQ? The Shi'ite groups sprang up as Tehran steadily entrenched itself in Iraqi politics and security matters after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq toppled President Saddam Hussein in ...

US, Saudis attack Iran-backed groups in Iraq, threatening to intensify conflict

July 29, 2026 12:42 PM

US, Saudis attack Iran-backed groups in Iraq, threatening to intensify conflict

The U.S. and Saudi Arabia launched strikes on Iran-backed groups in Iraq on Wednesday, saying they were responsible for drone attacks on Saudi oil facilities, prompting Iran to warn that blaming it for such attacks was a "major miscalculation". The strikes on targets inside Iraq come as Oman proposed a new regional deal aimed at resolving the conflict over the critical Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas flowed before the war. The U.S. and Saud...

Iran’s slain leader Khamenei laid in state in Tehran for week of mass funeral events

July 3, 2026 4:13 PM

Iran’s slain leader Khamenei laid in state in Tehran for week of mass funeral events

The body of Iran's slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was lying in state in a vast hall in Tehran on Friday as clerics, officials, foreign dignitaries and other mourners paid their respects after his 37-year rule. Iran is staging a week of mass funeral processions for Khamenei — killed in February by U.S. and Israeli airstrikes at the start of a four-month war — in a show of public devotion to the Islamic Republic's theocratic state and revolutionary fire. Khamenei's body was expe...

India Committed to Strengthening Ties with Iraq: PM Modi

May 16, 2026 2:13 PM

India Committed to Strengthening Ties with Iraq: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday congratulated Ali Falih Kadhim al-Zaidi on assuming office as the new Prime Minister of Iraq and reaffirmed India’s commitment to strengthening bilateral ties between the two countries. In a post on X, Prime Minister Modi said, “Heartiest congratulations to Ali Falih Kadhim al-Zaidi on assuming office as Prime Minister of Iraq. India highly values its long-standing and friendly ties with Iraq and remains firmly committed to further strengthening our ...

OPEC+ agrees third oil output quota hike since Hormuz closure

May 4, 2026 10:33 AM

OPEC+ agrees third oil output quota hike since Hormuz closure

OPEC+ agreed on Sunday a modest oil output hike for June, an increase that will remain largely on paper as long as the Iran war continues to disrupt Gulf oil supplies through the Strait of Hormuz. Seven OPEC+ countries will raise oil output targets by 188,000 barrels per day in June, the third consecutive monthly increase, OPEC+ said in a statement after an online meeting. The increase is the same as that agreed for May minus the share of the United Arab Emirates, which left the group on May 1....

Airstrikes in Iraq kill PMF fighters as US orders evacuations

April 2, 2026 6:26 PM

Airstrikes in Iraq kill PMF fighters as US orders evacuations

 Airstrikes in Iraq have killed three members of the Popular Mobilisation Forces and two Iraqi police officers near Kirkuk, as tensions linked to the US Israeli confrontation with Iran spill across borders.The PMF, originally formed to fight ISIL and later integrated into Iraq's official security structure, blamed the United States and Israel for the attack. No immediate confirmation has been issued by Washington or Tel Aviv.Separately, security sources  say two Iraqi policemen were killed in ...

How many people have been killed in the US-Israeli war on Iran?

March 19, 2026 11:38 AM

How many people have been killed in the US-Israeli war on Iran?

Thousands of people have been killed across the Middle East since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on February 28 and Iran launched strikes in response. Here are the tolls reported by Thursday, which Reuters has not independently verified. IRAN U.S.-based rights group HRANA said on Tuesday that 3,114 people have been killed. It said 1,354 of those were civilians including 207 children. The group says its data comes from field reports, local contacts, medical and emergency sources, civil soc...

Iraq in talks with Iran to safeguard oil tanker traffic through Hormuz

March 17, 2026 1:53 PM

Iraq in talks with Iran to safeguard oil tanker traffic through Hormuz

Iraq's oil minister said Baghdad is talking to Iran about allowing some of the country's oil tankers to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, the state news agency reported on Tuesday, as Iraq seeks to ease disruptions to crude exports following recent attacks on tankers in its own waters. Iraq is also working to restore a disused pipeline that would allow oil to be pumped directly to Turkey's Ceyhan port without passing through the Kurdistan region, Oil Minister Hayan Abdel-Ghani said in a video ...

West Asia Conflict Escalates as Drone and Missile Strikes Hit Baghdad and Doha

March 17, 2026 1:39 PM

West Asia Conflict Escalates as Drone and Missile Strikes Hit Baghdad and Doha

West Asia witnessed a sharp escalation early Tuesday as coordinated aerial attacks struck the Iraqi capital Baghdad and Qatar’s capital Doha, signalling a widening regional conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran. In Baghdad, the U.S. Embassy inside the heavily fortified Green Zone came under a fresh barrage of drones and rockets, marking the second such attack in three days. Iraqi authorities reported multiple interceptions by air defence systems, though at least one projectile ...