The Shiite political class’s game between Iran and the US has run its course US pressure and President Donald Trump's January post slamming former Iraqi PM Nouri al-Maliki's nomination for the premiership has put Maliki and the Shiite political class in an unenviable position. They better resolve this in a way that would not cost Iraqis dearly. It’s no time for seeking to be a martyr. Mohammed A. Salih Opinion
Trump demands halt to Gaza bombing as Hamas agrees to peace plan Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday announced their agreement on a peace plan for the Gaza Strip, soon entering its third year of Israeli military occupation. News
GeoSpace Ep.12 with Renad Mansour: US-Iraqi relations amid regional turmoil In this episode of The New Region’s GeoSpace, host Mohammed A. Salih talks with Renad Mansour, a senior research fellow at Chatham House, about Iraqi-US relations amidst stark regional tensions, discussing how Iraqi affairs have slid out of the limelight in Washington and how the passage of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) bill could disturb the present calm. Watch
Syrian FM visits Washington, discusses sanctions relief Top of the agenda on Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani's trip to the US is the removal of Caesar Act sanctions on Damascus, with the top diplomat set to meet a plethora of high-level US officials, including US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. News
US terror designation on Iraqi factions puts Baghdad in ‘dilemma’: Researcher Political researcher Abbas al-Jabouri opined that the US State Department's designation of four Iran-backed Iraqi groups as terrorist organizations "will deepen divisions within Iraq, escalate tensions between Baghdad and Washington, negatively affect security and economic cooperation, and create opportunities for regional and international actors to exploit the situation, threatening overall regional stability." News
US terror designation ‘will have no impact,’ says Iraqi armed group Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada, an Iran-backed Iraqi armed group, told The New Region that the US State Department's addition of the militia to its Foreign Terrorist Organization's list "will have no impact," adding that "it seems that anyone who rejects the Israeli occupation's policy will be punished." News
US designates four Iran-backed Iraqi militias as terrorist organizations The US State Department added what it termed the "Iran-aligned militia groups Harakat al-Nujaba, Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada, Harakat Ansar Allah al-Awfiya, and Kata’ib al-Imam Ali" to its Foreign Terrorist Organizations list. News
PM Barzani assures KRG assistance for US companies in Kurdistan A US Chamber of Commerce delegation and representatives of over 30 American companies visited Erbil to discuss investment opportunities in the Kurdistan Region. News
US citizen missing after Lalezar gunfight Brian Wilson, a US Air Force veteran, was reportedly working as a trainer for members of Lahur Sheikh Jangi's Scorpion paramilitary force. News