Security

Basra tanker attack marks deepening crisis for Iraq oil sector

Iraq is facing a widening array of security threats and economic consequences from the Iran war.

Iraqi ports director Farhan al-Fartousi (right) conducts an inspection on March 12, 2026, of the site of an Iranian attack on oil tankers the previous night. (Photo credit: General Company for Ports of Iraq)

Oct 12, 2023

Kurdistan sees rising threat of home-grown extremism

Security and intelligence forces are exposing sleeper cells of Kurdish youth radicalized by Islamic State ideology in alarming numbers.

Sep 12, 2023

Budget stalemate threatens Kurdistan’s solvency and stability

Baghdad takes a hard line against budget transfers to KRG as negotiations falter, prompting civil servant strikes and imminent protests.

Aug 15, 2023

Drone strikes highlight perils of Turkey-PKK war for Iraqi Kurdistan

Increasingly frequent attacks deep inside KRG territory pose danger for civilians and underscore challenges for diplomacy.

Aug 9, 2023

Fractious Iranian Kurdish dissidents pose challenge for KRG stability

A splintering of opposition groups in Iraqi Kurdistan is complicating efforts to meet Iranian demands for secure borders in order to avoid more drone and missile attacks.

Mar 5, 2023

Iraq increases training of Hashid paramilitary officers

Rising investment of military resources signals enduring power of politically connected armed groups.

Feb 16, 2023

Q&A: Jawad Bolani, member of the Parliament Security and Defense Committee

Iraq's former interior minister discusses the structure of the country's military and top security issues facing the new government.

Jan 14, 2023

Drone attack signals ongoing threat to Khor Mor

Friday's attack did not cause damage, but it did highlight unresolved security risks to a gas field responsible for most of Kurdistan's electricity feedstock.

Dec 15, 2022

Turkish strikes threaten Syrian crude exports to Iraqi Kurdistan

Turkey’s latest military campaign is targeting energy infrastructure in northeast Syria, depriving the Kurdish-led autonomous region of fuel and power — and potentially export revenue.

Dec 5, 2022

Iran’s cross-border attacks continue as dissident groups remain defiant

Joint Erbil-Baghdad talks to improve border policing have so far failed to answer Tehran’s concerns about dissident groups in Iraqi Kurdistan allegedly supporting Iran’s protest movement.

Nov 18, 2022

Widening divide between Kurdistan’s ruling parties raises new risks

Leaders are openly discussing the dissolution of a strategic agreement for united governance that has underpinned Kurdistan's stability and oil sector independence.