Iraq plans to gradually bring weapons held by armed groups under state control after the international coalition’s scheduled departure on September 30. National Security Adviser Qasim al-Araji announced the plan in an interview with the Iraqi News Agency on Sunday, describing it as a strategic Iraqi decision. He said Baghdad would pursue the process through dialogue rather than conflict.

Al-Araji said the government is working seriously to sever links between political parties and brigades of the Popular Mobilization Forces, or PMF, and that ongoing discussions have produced positive results. He said the weapons of armed groups would become part of state power and would not be handed to any external party. He added that all political forces agree that only the state has the right to decide questions of war and peace.

Several armed groups close to Iran oppose the initiative. Kataib Hezbollah has linked disarmament to the departure of US and other foreign troops from Iraq, while also demanding Turkish troop withdrawal from northern Iraq and the dissolution of Kurdish Peshmerga forces. Al-Araji called conflict a red line and said Baghdad would guarantee PMF fighters’ rights.

Iraqi President Nizar Amidi said Iraq will not allow its territory to be used to launch attacks against any other country. He made the remarks on the second day of the eighth Baghdad Dialogue conference, according to the report published on August 22, 2026.

Amidi said there is “no justification” for attacks conducted from Iraqi territory against any country in the region. He said only “two or three” armed groups in Iraq have yet to surrender their weapons, and discussions are continuing on bringing their arms under state control.

The president said Iraq’s constitution requires weapons to remain under state control, adding that Najaf’s religious authority has also called for this. He said the ongoing regional war has had a broad impact on Iraq. On the Strait of Hormuz, Amidi said its effects extend beyond Iraq to the whole world, and that Iraq is holding discussions with Iran to address complex issues surrounding the waterway.

Iran targeted Kurdistan Prime Minister Masrour Barzani with drone strikes, according to a report published on August 18, 2026. One drone crashed at his office and another at the home of Kurdistan’s intelligence chief. Kurdistan’s Counter Terrorism Directorate confirmed that no one was killed or injured in the incident.

In a post on X, Barzani said an investigation by Kurdistan’s counterterrorism unit found that Iranian drones had struck his private office and the intelligence chief’s residence. He described the attack as a “dangerous escalation” and said it threatened peace and stability in the Kurdistan Region.

The report said Iran has targeted Kurdistan several times since its war against the United States and Israel began in February. Iran feared Kurdish fighters could launch ground attacks into Iran from Kurdistan on behalf of the United States and Israel. The UAE condemned the strike, calling it a clear violation of the territorial integrity of Iraq and Iraqi Kurdistan.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi said Baghdad will not allow its territory or airspace to be used to launch attacks against neighboring countries. He made the statement while visiting Iraq’s Air Defense Command Operations Center on August 13, 2026.

Al-Zaidi said Iraq was working to protect its national security and sovereignty. He said the country would not permit its land or airspace to become a base for any attack directed against neighboring states.

The prime minister also described Iraq’s skies and sovereignty as inviolable. He said any violation of Iraqi airspace, or any form of interference with the country’s security, would not be tolerated. The remarks were delivered during his visit to the air defense command’s operations center.

The United States will withdraw all troops from Iraq by September 30, according to a Wednesday statement from Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s office. The statement said operations by the global coalition against Islamic State are nearing an end and that all foreign forces will leave Iraq by the deadline. It described the date as final and said no foreign troops would remain in Iraq from October 1.

The timetable was set after Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi met General Brad Cooper, commander of US Central Command. The two had also met during the Iraqi prime minister’s visit to Washington in mid-July. Iraq’s statement said the post-withdrawal relationship would respect both countries’ sovereignty and bilateral interests, with attention to strengthening cooperation in economic and security sectors.

US military involvement in Iraq began in 2003 with the operation to remove Saddam Hussein. Washington later continued military operations following the rise of Islamic State. A Pentagon official told the Associated Press that the United States, Iraq and coalition partners had achieved “extraordinary success” against IS, and said Iraqi forces are now sufficiently capable of confronting terrorist groups. The official did not disclose the current number of US troops in Iraq.

Iraq’s oil exports have fallen by 75 percent because of the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, Oil Minister Basem Mohammed Khudair said. In a report published on August 8, 2026, he linked the steep decline to the war involving the United States, Israel and Iran. Before the war began, Iraq exported about 3.4 million barrels of oil per day through the strait.

Speaking at a news conference, Khudair said Iraq is currently producing about 2.7 million barrels of oil a day, with roughly 1.5 million to 1.7 million barrels exported daily. He said Iraq needs to create alternative export routes in the future and is focusing on diversifying export infrastructure and routes.

Khudair said Iraq has discussed with Iran the possibility of enabling Iraqi oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz, but no practical initiative has yet begun. The Iraqi government also opposed any attacks on oil companies and agreed to compensate companies if they are damaged in attacks. The source notes that disruption on the major oil and gas transit route could have significant effects on international energy markets.

Several Chinese and Indian oil refineries are seeking vessels to transport discounted Iraqi crude through the Strait of Hormuz from Iraq’s Basra Oil Terminal, according to multiple shipping-industry sources cited by Reuters. The effort was reported this week, but no vessel charter agreement has yet been finalized because of security risks in the strait.

The sources said Iraq’s state oil marketing company SOMO is offering discounts of up to about $30 per barrel on Basra Heavy and Basra Medium crude for August delivery. The large price reductions are driving refinery interest in purchasing the Iraqi oil.

Shipowners are reluctant to send vessels through the Strait of Hormuz because of concerns about security conditions. Kpler data showed that only six crude oil tankers exited the strait this week, while 21 vessels entered it, most using Iranian waterways. Iran closed the strait when the US-Israel war began on February 28. Before that closure, an average of 130 to 140 ships used the important sea route each day.

Iraq exported more than 30 million barrels of crude oil through the Strait of Hormuz between July 4 and August 4, according to an AFP report published on August 5, 2026. The volume was about 29 percent of Iraq’s average monthly exports before the war. Iraq’s state oil marketing company SOMO said an estimated 35.5 million to 37 million barrels were transported through the strait in July.

Before the war, Iraq exported an average of 105 million barrels of oil each month through the Strait of Hormuz. Most of those supplies came from oil terminals in the southern Basra area. SOMO chief Ali Nizar provided the July transport estimate cited in the report.

Nizar said Iraq also exported another 7 million barrels through the Iraq-Turkey pipeline via the port of Ceyhan during the same period. Iraq transported some crude through Syria by tanker trucks as well. Discussions are still under way on plans to build a pipeline to Syria’s port of Baniyas.

Iran-aligned armed group Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba has threatened retaliation after reported joint US and Saudi airstrikes across several Iraqi provinces. In a Wednesday statement cited in a report published July 29, 2026, the group said US and Saudi interests in the region would face serious consequences following what it described as deadly attacks.

The Popular Mobilization Forces, an Iraqi government-recognized coalition of Shiite armed groups also known as Hashd al-Shaabi, said at least 20 of its fighters were killed and 32 wounded in overnight strikes. It said the attacks were carried out simultaneously in seven provinces, including Baghdad, Basra, Karbala, Kirkuk and Nineveh.

According to the coalition, several of its buildings, military vehicles and important equipment were severely damaged. Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi convened an emergency security meeting to review the situation. The report said Nujaba's warning has raised concerns about a widening Middle East conflict and possible retaliatory attacks against Washington and Riyadh.

Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces, or PMF, said at least 20 of its fighters were killed in joint Saudi-US attacks across seven provinces. The group said another 32 people were wounded. The report was published and updated on July 29, 2026.

In a statement, the PMF said its bases in Baghdad, Wasit, Nineveh, Basra, Kirkuk, Karbala and Diyala provinces were targeted. It also said buildings, vehicles and military equipment sustained damage of varying degrees during the attacks.

The PMF described the casualty toll as preliminary and said it could rise. An earlier figure had put the number of people killed at eight. The source did not provide the timing of the attacks, details of weapons used, or responses from the United States or Saudi Arabia.

United States and Saudi Arabian joint forces carried out airstrikes against Iran-backed armed groups in Iraq, killing eight members and injuring four others, according to a report published on July 29, 2026. US Central Command said the strikes targeted weapons depots and logistics facilities of several groups across eastern Iraq.

CENTCOM said the groups had acted under instructions from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC, to attack US forces and Saudi Arabia's energy infrastructure. It described the joint action as a response to more than 30 IRGC-directed drone attacks over the previous 72 hours and said the strikes were precise.

In its statement, CENTCOM called the IRGC drone attacks “unprovoked” and said they had failed to achieve any objectives. The command also claimed that Iran-backed Iraqi armed groups attempted more than 600 attacks against US citizens and various facilities between February and April this year. CENTCOM warned that the United States could take further military action if such attacks continue.

Iraq’s National Security Adviser Qasim al-Aboudi has said new information indicates that “Ukrainian cells” were involved in multiple bombings targeting government facilities in Iraq. Speaking to Arabic-language outlet Dijla TV, al-Aboudi said the evidence pointed to what he described as Ukrainian interference. The report was published on July 28, 2026.

Al-Aboudi said some members of Ukrainian cells had carried out the attacks against Iraqi government sites. He also said Iraqi authorities had arrested a small group, and that those detained had confessed to working for Ukraine and bombing some government facilities.

The adviser said a more detailed investigation was needed before anyone could be formally accused. He did not provide identities of those arrested or specific details about the attacks. Ukraine had not issued an immediate response or comment on the Iraqi official’s allegations, according to the report.

A drone strike hit the Khor Mor gas field, the largest in northern Iraq’s Kurdish-controlled region, late Monday night, according to Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB. The field is located in Sulaymaniyah and supplies gas to most power plants in the region. Loud explosions were also reported in Erbil, the Kurdistan capital, about 200 kilometres from the gas field.

Iraqi media and Iran’s Fars news agency reported at least seven explosions in several locations in Erbil, including near the US consulate. Local police told Al Jazeera that at least four Iranian drone strikes targeted locations in Khalifan and Soran, northeast of Erbil. Police said severe fires broke out in and around the targeted areas, while two drones crashed after approaching their targets.

Police said more than 10 US warplanes and drones were seen flying over Erbil, which they believed was a response to the Iranian drone attacks. The report said the United States had suspended military attacks on Iran since Friday after 13 nights of reciprocal strikes. President Donald Trump rejected reports citing weapons shortages and said the pause followed requests from mediating countries.

Iranian army spokesperson Mohammad Akraminia claimed that nearly all US military infrastructure in Erbil, Iraq, has been destroyed. In remarks carried by Iranian state television and reported by Anadolu Agency, he said recent attacks by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps caused extensive damage to US facilities in Erbil. The report was published on July 26, 2026.

Akraminia also claimed Iran had inflicted severe damage on US military bases across different parts of the Middle East. He said many of those bases had lost their operational and management capacity as a result. The source did not provide independent confirmation of the reported damage or describe the specific facilities affected.

The spokesperson said Iran was deploying new attack drones that are more advanced and accurate than the Arash-2 drone. He added that Iran was prepared to continue military operations until Americans understood they could not impose their will on the Iranian nation through aggression. No response from the United States to the Iranian claims was available, according to the report.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi is scheduled to visit Iran tomorrow with a ministerial delegation, according to the Iraqi News Agency (INA). The visit, made at the invitation of the Iranian government, will focus on cooperation in the gas sector and discussions on the regional situation, Al Jazeera reported.

Government spokesperson Haidar al-Aboudi stated that the issue of keeping weapons under state control has been discussed only in Baghdad and will not be raised abroad, emphasizing it as an internal matter. He added that energy and gas cooperation will be key topics in bilateral talks, reflecting Iraq’s national interests. Al-Aboudi also noted that Iraq is pursuing diplomacy-based initiatives to address current regional challenges.

He further mentioned that Iraq has signed several agreements with the United States, including plans to develop alternative oil export routes to ensure secure exports amid tensions in the Strait of Hormuz. Al-Aboudi said Iraq seeks broader foreign relations based on economic interests while avoiding involvement in conflicts.