Iran iraq

Marco Rubio in UAE warns Iran-backed militias in Iraq threaten regional stability

Washington has used a combination of sanctions, terrorist designations, and rewards for information on militia leaders.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio takes part in a media briefing during the 58th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers' meeting and related meetings at the Convention Centre in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on July 10, 2025.
Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Ali al-Zaidi speaks during a parliamentary session to vote in a new government at the parliament headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq, May 14, 2026.

Iraq in transition: Baghdad pushes weapons monopoly amid reforms - analysis

Iraq’s new leadership is pledging state control over weapons, but questions remain over whether Baghdad can rein in powerful Iran-backed militias.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Iranian Kurdish fighters from the Kurdistan Freedom Party, known as PAK take part in a training session at a base on the outskirts of Erbil, Iraq.

Drone attack reported in Iraq's Kurdistan region, as US-Iran tensions grow

The attack “caused extensive damage to the building, but no casualties were reported. No party has claimed responsibility so far,” local media reported.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
A member of Komala of the Toilers of Kurdistan stands while holding a machine gun at a mountain base in Khalifan near Erbil, Iraq's Kurdistan region, on March 12, 2026.

Iran relentlessly targets Kurdish opposition in northern Iraq despite regional ceasefire - analysis

The attacks illustrate how Iran is seeking to keep up the pressure on Kurdish opposition groups. Many of these groups have forces and bases in the Kurdistan Region of northern Iraq.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN

How will Iran’s proxies in Iraq respond to US election? – analysis

Iranian militias ramp up drone attacks on Israel, await US response post-election.

NOVEMBER 6, 2024BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Iraqi Shiite militia fighters hold the Islamic State flag as they celebrate after breaking the siege of Amerli by Islamic State militants, September 1, 2014.

Iran uses proxy militias in Iraq to pressure the US - analysis

Iran is prodding militias to increase threats to the US in Iraq in order to see if the US will pressure Israel not to strike harder at Hezbollah.

JULY 1, 2024BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
PROTESTERS BURN an Israeli and a US flag in Tehran, earlier this year. The Iranian cyber threat is especially troubling for the Jewish Diaspora, which Iran targets as part of its broader agenda, encapsulated in its chilling slogan: ‘Death to America, Death to Israel,’ says the writer.

Israel-Iran alliance: Jerusalem's arm sales to the Islamic Republic during Iran-Iraq War

Clandestine Israeli sales of military equipment helped turn the tide of the war and prevent Iran from falling to Saddam’s forces.

JUNE 14, 2024ByALEX WINSTON
Snapshots illustrating the relationship between Israel and Iran

Ebrahim Raisi signaled Iranian revolution's demise

The deceased Iranian president epitomized the Khomeini Revolution’s successes, adventures, and decay.

MAY 24, 2024ByAMOTZ ASA-EL
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi gestures during a meeting with Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro at the Miraflores Palace, in Caracas, Venezuela June 12, 2023.

Enduring aggression: Iran's proxy militias' relentless offensive

The latest group to claim to attack Israel is in Iraq, however it is unclear if these "attacks" go beyond mere claims and whether Iran is putting out propaganda to keep up the pressure on Israel.

MAY 5, 2024BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
HEZBOLLAH MEMBERS hold flags during a rally marking the annual Hezbollah Martyrs’ Day, in Beirut’s southern suburbs, last month

Iraq's struggle: divided between the US coalition and becoming an Iranian proxy-state

Iraq needs a strong ally like the US to face a potential ISIS rebirth. However, the government is trying to balance its ties with both the US and Iran by allowing Iran to back Shia militias there.

APRIL 15, 2024ByGIORGIA VALENTE/THE MEDIA LINE
US Army soldiers keep watch on the US embassy compound in Baghdad, Iraq January 1, 2020

Iran consistently violates diplomatic protection and international law - opinion

To deter future Israeli attacks, Iran would need to retaliate directly against Israel. However, such action could provoke a severe response from the IDF.

APRIL 11, 2024ByFARHAD REZAEI
IRAN’S AMBASSADOR to the UN Zahra Ershadi speaks at a Security Council meeting on threats to international peace and security, on April 2, the day after an airstrike destroyed the Iranian Consulate in Damascus.

Iran-backed Iraqi terrorists claim to target Israeli power plant

Iranian media claims that Iraqi group targeted a power plan near Tel Aviv with a drone.

MARCH 21, 2024BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Protest in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, in Baghdad

Iraq’s ruling coalition may call for early elections

A poll by the nongovernmental Iraq Statistics Organization found Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ Al Sudani to have an approval rate of 51%, the highest of any Iraqi official. 

MARCH 10, 2024ByHUDHAIFA EBRAHIM/THE MEDIA LINE
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Al Sudani in Munich, Germany, on February 18 2023.

Target: Kataib Hezbollah - why the latest US airstrike is a gamechanger

The killing of an Iranian-backed militia leader in Iraq will likely galvanize Iran’s allies in the country to try to expel the US.

FEBRUARY 8, 2024BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
A member of Hashd al-Shaabi (paramilitary forces) holds a flag of Kataib Hezbollah militia group during a protest to condemn air strikes on their bases, outside the main gate of the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq December 31, 2019.