Nadene Goldfoot
Recent updates on Iraq focus on ongoing government formation following the 2025 elections, challenges in the energy sector, and persistent security concerns.
I always think of Iraq as the Mesopotamia that our Jewish religion was planted. With Iran in the picture these days, one would not realize how Iran is affecting Iraq. Many significant biblical stories, including Abraham's origin in Ur, the prophecies and revival in Nineveh, the captivity and fiery furnace tales in Babylon, the potential site of the Tower of Babel, and even the Garden of Eden's Tigris River, occurred in the land of modern-day Iraq (ancient Mesopotamia). Key figures like Abraham, Jonah, Daniel, and the exiled Israelites were central to events in this region, which served as the heart of empires like Assyria and Babylonia.
Incidently, Iran and Iraq fought a bloody war in the 1980's against each other. The Iran-Iraq War, a devastating conflict often called the "First Gulf War," occurred from September 22, 1980, to August 20, 1988, when Iraq invaded Iran, leading to nearly eight years of brutal fighting over border disputes, religious tensions, and regional dominance, ending in a UN-brokered ceasefire with no decisive victor. They fought in the end using teens as soldiers.
- Iran has halted natural gas supplies to Iraq, causing significant power cuts and an electricity crisis. Protests have erupted in Kirkuk province over the electricity shortages.
- Water Crisis: The country continues to face a prolonged drought, similar to Iran, but with water flows in the Tigris and Euphrates rivers significantly reduced. This has major impacts on agriculture, though recent unprecedented rainfall has helped boost strategic water reserves. The UN ranks Iraq as one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change.Water Crisis in Iran comes from mismanagement; a mix of climate change-induced droughts, severe mismanagement, unsustainable agricultural practices (like overuse for 90% of water use), excessive dam building, illegal well drilling, population growth, and poor governance, leading to drying rivers, shrinking aquifers, and intense water stress, as highlighted by issues in Tehran.
- Nationalization Plan: The Iraqi cabinet approved plans to nationalize operations at the major West Qurna 2 oilfield, currently run by Russia's Lukoil, to prevent disruptions from U.S. sanctions. Exxon Mobil has reportedly expressed interest in acquiring Lukoil's stake. Iran has cut the Internet for all Iranians, blacking out their attacks on their own people.
- High Risk Travel Advisory: The U.S. Department of State and other foreign offices strongly advise against all travel to Iraq due to high risks of violence, kidnapping, and terrorist attacks by ISIS and others.
- ISIS Threat: Despite the Islamic State's (ISIS) territorial defeat in 2017, the group remains a threat, with remnants operating in the country and security forces launching joint operations to clear hideouts.
- Militia Activity: Anti-U.S. militias continue to pose a threat to U.S. citizens and international companies. Drone attacks have targeted oil and gas fields in the Kurdistan region, briefly halting production.
- . Major Incidents
- In July 2025, a fire tore through a newly opened shopping center in eastern Iraq, killing at least 61 people, including women and children.
- In a separate incident, twelve soldiers died from methane gas exposure while searching a mountain cave in northern Iraq.
- Resource:
- https://english.alarabiya.net/locations/iraq#:~:text=Recent%20News,Middle%20East%2004%20December%20%2C2025
- https://www.ireland.ie/en/dfa/overseas-travel/advice/iraq/#:~:text=The%20Department%20of%20Foreign%20Affairs,high%20threat%20of%20terrorist%20attacks.
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