By Jack Detsch for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Iraq’s caretaker prime minister privately does not want US troops to withdraw, several sources familiar with the situation told Al-Monitor, though Adel Abdul Mahdi publicly backed a recent parliamentary vote that urged the […]
By Aaron David Miller, for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Any opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Trump and Khamenei Want the Same Thing Both President Donald Trump and Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei have something in common: they both […]
By Thomas Wright, for Brookings Institution. The opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. On October 6, 1980 Donald Trump was interviewed by Rona Barrett, one of America’s most famous gossip columnists, on NBC. It was several weeks before Ronald Reagan defeated Jimmy Carter […]
By Christine McCaffray van den Toorn and Raad Alkadiri for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. US-Iran tensions shift Iraq from brink of reform to brink of war Rising US-Iranian tensions over the past week have seemingly brought the two sides closer to […]
By Robbie Gramer, for Foreign Policy. Any opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. The U.S. State Department sent Congress this month detailed plans to dramatically and permanently reduce the number of U.S. diplomats in Iraq, a measure that critics say runs directly […]
By Amberin Zaman for Al Monitor. Any opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Oil trail reveals Turkey funding Syrian Kurdish rivals At the Halifax Security Forum, an annual event attended by high-powered government officials, business titans and assorted other movers and shakers […]
By Robert S. Ford and Randa Slim, for Foreign Affairs. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Last week, rockets landed in what was once known as the Green Zone—the heavily fortified neighborhood in western Baghdad where the American embassy is located. It was […]
By John Lee. The United States has imposed sanctions on an Iraqi company, South Wealth Resources Company (SWRC), which it is says is an Iraq-based affiliate of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The full text of the Treasury Department's statement is shown below: Today [Wednesday 13th June], the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office […]
By Aaron Majid, for Foreign Policy. Any opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. These days, Tehran is having trouble getting what it wants from its neighbor—a development Washington can encourage by backing off. It almost goes without saying these days that Iran […]
By Joe Macaron for Al Monitor. Any opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Will the Trump administration abort Iran’s land bridge to the Mediterranean? As the showdown between Washington and Tehran escalates elsewhere in the Gulf, Iran is giving high priority to an […]
By John Lee. The Trump administration has reportedly granted Iraq a further 90-day extension to the waiver exempting it from US sanctions on Iran. CNBC quotes a senior State Department official as saying on condition of anonymity: "While this waiver is intended to help Iraq mitigate energy shortages, we continue to discuss our Iran-related sanctions […]
From The Economist. America is trying to get more out of its relationship with Iraq US President Donald Trump thinks America is being ripped off. “We have spent $7trn—trillion with a T—$7trn in the Middle East,” he told a crowd last year, exaggerating slightly. “You know what we have for it? Nothing. Nothing.” To right […]
