Iraq

Environmental protection minister says suspect ship is now anchored in Iran but offers no evidence spill was intentional

20:49 - The U.S. military strike on Iranian-backed fighters in Syria this week represents a crucial first test of the Biden administration’s attempt to balance competing goals on Iran, a strategy experts say is unlikely to end a lethal history of militia violence against U.S. personnel.

16:03 - President Trump has ordered the Pentagon to pull 2,500 U.S. troops from Afghanistan and Iraq by mid-January, acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller announced Tuesday.

Iraq named its former intelligence chief as prime minister Thursday, ending months of political deadlock that had seen two previous candidates step aside as the country teetered on the edge of economic free fall.

Projectiles struck near the Baghdad Operations Command, a few hundred meters away from the US embassy.

NATO is considering an increase to its training mission in Iraq to relieve the burden on the U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State, senior officials and diplomats said on Tuesday.

Secretary of state calls on Iraqi government to better protect American facilities as protests against Baghdad and US troops continue and fears of a wider conflict smolder

Germany responded to growing security concerns in the Gulf region, saying it plans to "temporarily thin out" the number of soldiers in Iraq. Its military presence will be reduced particularly in Baghdad and Taji.

China on Friday (Jan 3) appealed for restraint from all sides, "especially the United States", after top Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani was killed in a US strike in Iraq.