Iraq News
Economy

Impoverished Iranians bristle at $100 billion price tag for Syria 'investments'

2021-04-19

Impoverished Iranians bristle at $100 billion price tag for Syria 'investments'

Reports that the Iranian regime spent between $30-105 billion on military and economic spending in Syria comes at a time when Iranian citizens face an intensifying economic crisis.

Iranian rockets, drones tied to Tehran's plans to destablise Iraq Security

2021-04-19

Iranian rockets, drones tied to Tehran's plans to destablise Iraq

Iranian rockets, drones tied to Tehran's plans to destablise Iraq

The ongoing barrage of attacks from Iraqi militias using Iranian-made weapons aims to weaken the Iraqi military, sow societal discord and drive away investments, analysts say.

Ongoing Iranian-backed terrorist activity turns region against Tehran Analysis

2021-04-16

Ongoing Iranian-backed terrorist activity turns region against Tehran

Ongoing Iranian-backed terrorist activity turns region against Tehran

Terrorist drones hitting airports, missiles and rockets slamming into oil facilities, critics of Iran being murdered -- these activities serve only to isolate Iran even more.

Erbil airport damaged in 'terrorist' drone attack
Security

2021-04-15

Erbil airport damaged in 'terrorist' drone attack

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but a shadowy pro-Iran front group calling itself Saraya Awliyaa al-Dam, which carried out a previous attack in February, hailed the strike.

Mafia-like behaviour of Iraqi militias rebuked by Iranian handlers
Politics

2021-04-14

Mafia-like behaviour of Iraqi militias rebuked by Iranian handlers

Even Iran's Supreme Leader is upset, calling the Iran-backed militias 'thieves' for the disappearance of vast sums of money destined for Tehran, and their vicious infighting over influence and money.

'Irrefutable' evidence proves Syria used chemical weapons in 2018 attack
Crime & Justice

2021-04-13

'Irrefutable' evidence proves Syria used chemical weapons in 2018 attack

A new investigative report concludes Syrian regime helicopters dropped chlorine cylinders on civilians in Idlib province. Orders for the attack must have come from above, OPCW says.

Is it time for Iraq's militia groups to disband?

Results
Spotlight

Mafia-like behaviour of Iraqi militias rebuked by Iranian handlers

Even Iran's Supreme Leader is upset, calling the Iran-backed militias 'thieves' for the disappearance of vast sums of money destined for Tehran, and their vicious infighting over influence and money.

Mafia-like behaviour of Iraqi militias rebuked by Iranian handlers
Explosion at Natanz nuclear site exposes Iranian regime's vulnerable security
Security

2021-04-12

Explosion at Natanz nuclear site exposes Iranian regime's vulnerable security

The explosion and blackout at the Natanz uranium enrichment plant is the latest incident showing that Iran is unable to protect its most significant sources of self-proclaimed national pride.

Pressure intensifies on Lebanese Hizbullah as top Shia clerics speak out
Analysis

2021-04-09

Pressure intensifies on Lebanese Hizbullah as top Shia clerics speak out

Key members of the Shia community, including some of the most respected clerics in the Middle East, have called for an end to the Iran-backed party's hegemony over Lebanon.

Peaceful Iran? Track record of terrorism and abuse suggests otherwise
Analysis

2021-04-08

Peaceful Iran? Track record of terrorism and abuse suggests otherwise

The Iranian regime's hypocrisy is abundantly clear as it touts peace and cites abuses, while at the same time fuels regional conflict and represses its own population.

Duped Syrian job seekers find themselves working for Russian militias
Security

2021-04-08

Duped Syrian job seekers find themselves working for Russian militias

Thinking they are applying online for a job as a security guard, desperate Syrian youth who accept vaguely described positions have found themselves on the frontlines of foreign-backed conflicts.

'Canary caliph': new details reveal extent of ISIS leader as prison snitch
Terrorism

2021-04-08

'Canary caliph': new details reveal extent of ISIS leader as prison snitch

While detained in Iraq in 2008, the current ISIS leader was eager to inform on his rivals, providing US forces 'maplike directions' on how to find them, including a top al-Qaeda leader.

ISIS abducts 19 in Syria desert as SDF continue crackdown on group
Terrorism

2021-04-07

ISIS abducts 19 in Syria desert as SDF continue crackdown on group

The Kurdish forces said they had captured 125 suspected ISIS members inside al-Hol camp since the launch of a major security sweep on March 28.

Hizbullah has taken Lebanon 'hostage', politicians say
Politics

2021-04-06

Hizbullah has taken Lebanon 'hostage', politicians say

The Iran-backed party is undermining the Lebanese state and international entities and agreements, keeping Lebanon mired in crisis.

Kremlin influence agent Prigozhin faces harsh reality as international fugitive
Analysis

2021-04-05

Kremlin influence agent Prigozhin faces harsh reality as international fugitive

'Businessman' Yevgeny Prigozhin is pulling the strings on a number of influence campaigns around the world on behalf of the Kremlin, but the international legal noose is tightening.

Rights activists in Moscow urge Russians to recognise Syrian abuses
Human Rights

2021-04-02

Rights activists in Moscow urge Russians to recognise Syrian abuses

The 'overwhelming majority' of interviewees saw Russia as a destructive foreign force whose intervention helped bolster the brutal regime.

Most Viewed

Explosion at Natanz nuclear site exposes Iranian regime's vulnerable security

Mafia-like behaviour of Iraqi militias rebuked by Iranian handlers

Erbil airport damaged in 'terrorist' drone attack

Most Commented

US calls on Iraq to dismantle armed groups

Iraq reinstates 55,000 former soldiers

Elite forces dismantle terror cell in Baghdad, Anbar

Locals voice support for SDF's ongoing anti-ISIS sweep at al-Hol camp
Security

2021-04-02

Locals voice support for SDF's ongoing anti-ISIS sweep at al-Hol camp

Asayesh security forces have arrested dozens of ISIS elements during the ongoing operation, including several of the group's leaders.

Iran bankrolls aggressive drive to recruit vulnerable Syrian youth into militias
Security

2021-04-01

Iran bankrolls aggressive drive to recruit vulnerable Syrian youth into militias

The massive recruitment drive is coupled with cultural and sectarian indoctrination. Those who do not fall into line face death threats and property confiscation.

EU ministers vow Syria 'war criminals' won't go unpunished
Crime & Justice

2021-04-01

EU ministers vow Syria 'war criminals' won't go unpunished

In a joint statement, 18 foreign ministers said their nations are committed to ensuring war criminals and torturers will not go unpunished.

Iraqi forces take down 4 IRGC-backed 'death squads', hunt for more
Security

2021-03-31

Iraqi forces take down 4 IRGC-backed 'death squads', hunt for more

Such 'death squads' are trained by Iran's IRGC to carry out specific tasks, the foremost of which include silencing anyone who voices opposition to Iran.

Iran-linked militias grow fat on Iraq customs-evasion cartel profits
Economy

2021-03-30

Iran-linked militias grow fat on Iraq customs-evasion cartel profits

Tampering with paperwork, skipping cargo inspections, allowing in prohibited goods, and importing Iranian produce customs-free: the work of a 'real mafia' that is robbing the Iraqi public.

Iranians blast regime for 'selling' country in 25-year deal with China
Politics

2021-03-29

Iranians blast regime for 'selling' country in 25-year deal with China

Tehran continues to keep the details of the deal secret, and observers fear the economic crisis Iran is facing has forced it to sign an unbalanced deal that will empower China.

SDF crack down as ISIS escalates criminal activity, terrorising civilians
Security

2021-03-29

SDF crack down as ISIS escalates criminal activity, terrorising civilians

ISIS sleeper cells are terrorising civilians in northeast Syria, resorting to kidnapping, murder, and extortion, while ISIS sympathizers inside al-Hol camp continue to create instability and concern.

Guardianship of the Jurist: a theological anomaly empowering dictatorship in Iran
Analysis

2021-03-26

Guardianship of the Jurist: a theological anomaly empowering dictatorship in Iran

The idea of absolute power, derived from an interpretation of a theological proposition, has been used to justify autocratic rule in Iran and the spread of 'revolution' across the region.

Teetering Iranian economy threatens future of Islamic Republic
Economy

2021-03-25

Teetering Iranian economy threatens future of Islamic Republic

Public rage over economic and living conditions has reached a boiling point as Iranian leaders continue to spend lavishly on proxy wars and military weaponry.

Foreign governments urged to retrieve citizens from Syria's al-Hol
Human Rights

2021-03-25

Foreign governments urged to retrieve citizens from Syria's al-Hol

Human Rights Watch said governments must repatriate citizens linked to ISIS from Kurdish-run camps in north-eastern Syria, warning of dire consequences if nothing is done.

'ISIS Hunters' belies mercenaries' true intent: to protect Russian interests in Syria
Security

2021-03-24

'ISIS Hunters' belies mercenaries' true intent: to protect Russian interests in Syria

The Kremlin is eager to depict the group as a terrorism fighting outfit, but in reality it has close ties with the Wagner Group, and its primary mission is to guard Russia's oil and gas interests in Syria.

Iranian missiles flood eastern Syria via secret smuggling routes in Iraq
Security

2021-03-23

Iranian missiles flood eastern Syria via secret smuggling routes in Iraq

Smugglers take secret routes to avoid detection, driving their trucks through the valleys and desert hills, and using old ISIS tunnels, to supply the growing colony of Iran-backed militias.

Iran's obstinacy leads to growing clout of Israel in Middle East
Analysis

2021-03-22

Iran's obstinacy leads to growing clout of Israel in Middle East

While Iran continues to fund regional instability and be unwilling to negotiate on its nuclear programme, the Arab world is getting closer together, and Israel is moving in.

'Little Iran': IRGC evicts locals in eastern Syria as militant enclave expands
Analysis

2021-03-19

'Little Iran': IRGC evicts locals in eastern Syria as militant enclave expands

An estimated 25,000 militants are in eastern Syria, and the IRGC has seized private property in order to accommodate new arrivals, kicking off a process of demographic change.

Iran's proxies in Lebanon, Iraq drive away vital European support
Diplomacy

2021-03-18

Iran's proxies in Lebanon, Iraq drive away vital European support

Iran's intransigence and the actions of its proxies have worn down its support in Europe and undermine efforts to improve its situation.