On Monday, the White House enacted yet another round of economic sanctions against Iran — this time targeting dozens of individuals spread out across Tehran's nuclear, missile, and defense industries. The latest executive order is a supplement to Washington's decision days earlier to invoke the snapback provision under the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, which reimposes all U.N. sanctions previously lifted (the vast majority of the U.N. Security Council rejected the move as null and void). Despite two years of maximum pressure on the Iranian economy, Tehran…

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told the Iraqi prime minister that the U.S. is prepared to act in self-defense if attacked in Iraq, according to a readout of a call between the two officials released on Monday. Pompeo spoke with Iraq’s Prime Minister Adil Abd al-Mahdi on Sunday and called on the Iraqi government to fulfill its obligations protecting coalition troops working in the country to defeat ISIS and identify and hold accountable the groups responsible for a rocket attack last week that…

Protesters in southern Iraq yesterday closed the Dhi Qar oil company and prevented employees from entering the building, Anadolu news agency reported. The agency quoted eyewitnesses as saying that the protesters burned tyres, and set up roadblocks on the main street leading to the company’s entrance to demand employment opportunities for locals in oil installations in the province. Following the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic and the subsequent drop in global oil prices, Iraq has been forced into deeper financial woes. The…

A number of Iraqi journalists revealed that they had received death threats following their coverage of the protests against ruling Shia parties in the country, Al-Quds Al-Arabi reported yesterday. Journalist Zaid Al-Fatlawi, from Al-Diwaniyeh governorate, said that he had received death threats from a “powerful armed militia”, which accused him of covering the protests. The militia told him that his coverage was unacceptable and sent three armed men to his office. Speaking to the Arabic news site, Al-Fatlawi said: “The armed men…

The President of the Supreme Judicial Council of Iraq, Judge Fayeq Zaidan, yesterday called on the government to disclose the outcomes of its investigations into corruption, Anadolu reported. Zaidan made the call on the sidelines of his meeting with the head of the government’s investigation committee into corruption cases, Lieutenant General Ahmed Abu Ragheef. “The results of the investigation committee must be presented to the public to avoid any misinformation regarding the issuance of arrest warrants or the actual arrest of persons…

WASHINGTON - Last week’s U.S. announcement that it would withdraw more than 2,000 of its troops from Iraq this month appears to have emboldened Iran-backed Shiite militias, with some groups vowing to keep up their fight against the remaining American troops in the country. The commander of U.S. Central Command, Marine General Frank McKenzie, said September 9 that the U.S. would reduce its troops in Iraq from about 5,200 to 3,000. The decision, he said, was made in consultation with…

Iraqi President Barham Salih said Saturday that he seeks to enforce the rule of law at the highest level of government. “The reform process requires the provision of a favorable political climate by holding early elections away from the monopoly of weapons and manipulation so that the people can decide their own future,” he told a conference organized by the Iraqi National Wisdom Movement on violence against women. “We have many challenges ahead and there is no space for a…

The Iraqi Foreign Minister, Fuad Hussein, yesterday renewed calls for the European Commission to remove the Gulf state from the list of high-risk third countries for money laundering and terrorist financing. According to a statement by the Foreign Ministry, the minister met with Josep Borrell, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, at the European Commission headquarters in Brussels. The officials discussed the meetings of the Joint Commission for Human Rights and Democracy that were held days earlier. According to the statement, the Iraqi…

BAGHDAD – An explosive device blew up late Thursday night inside the American Institute for English Learning in the holy city of Najaf, adding to concerns about an increase in such attacks in the country. The blast damaged the facade of the institute without causing any casualties, Iraqi police said in a statement, noting that an investigation has been launched into the incident. The American Institute is an educational centre that teaches English language. It is not formally affiliated with…

BAGHDAD -- An improvised explosive device blew up outside an English-language institute in southern Iraq early Friday without causing any casualties, Iraqi police said in a statement, amid a recent uptick in attacks targeting the American presence in Iraq. The blast damaged the facade of the American Institute for English Learning in the holy city of Najaf, a statement from the province's police directorate said.  The school is not formally affiliated with any institutions in the U.S. It was believed to to have…