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What's happening now in iraq
ISHM: October 1 – 8, 2026
Key Takeaways: POLITICS: Tension Rises Between Zaidi and Armed Factions Over American Flag Incident; Outline of 2027 Budget Emerges – On October 5, security forces arrested individuals involved in an incident in which military vehicles and fighters from the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) were seen passing over an American flag during a parade marking the U.S. withdrawal. A military spokesman for Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi did not reveal the number or identities of those arrested, but sources indicated that between eight and 10 individuals were arrested, including PMF personnel. Additionally, a security force dispatched from Baghdad raided the residence of the PMF’s director for ideological guidance in Basra after he organized a protest during which a portrait of Zaidi was set on fire alongside American and Israeli flags. Following the arrests, Akram al-Kabi, who leads the Kataib Sayyed al-Shuhada militia, posted a video in which he is shown walking over
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News and Features
EPIC Launches Water for Iraq’s Future Campaign
Left photo: Bnwar AbdulRahman (in red cap) with volunteers outside Waterkeepers Iraq’s office at The Culture Factory—a former tobacco factory bombed in the 1991 Gulf War, now home to artists and activists. Right photo: EPIC Director Erik Gustafson with Waterkeepers Iraq’s Nabil Musa and Kurdish Iraqi designer Sabah Ahmad (in gray cap), who built a mobile wastewater unit funded in part by EPIC (Sulaymaniyah/2025) Help us raise $50,000 in 30 days for Iraqi-led action to protect rivers, strengthen farms,
Iraq’s Turbulent Season: War, Militias, and Political Change
The past several months have been among the most consequential Iraq has faced in years. Since the Iran war began on February 28, Iraq has been pulled deeper into a conflict it did not choose. Military confrontations have spilled onto Iraqi territory, while disruptions to oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz have exposed just how vulnerable Iraq’s economy remains to regional instability. At the same time, Iraq has undergone a major political transition. After six months of deadlock, intense
What Does the U.S.-Iran MOU Mean for Iraq?
By Omar Al-Nidawi The U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding signed last week at Versailles could mark a new opening in relations between Tehran and Washington after months of violent confrontation. However, its regional implications, particularly for Iraq, remain uncertain, and it is still too early to determine whether the agreement will ultimately benefit or harm the country. What is clear, however, is that while Iraq suffered significantly as a result of the conflict, the emerging settlement does not appear to address
Publications
Iraq Caught in the Middle: The Iran War’s Impact and What Comes Next
A temporary ceasefire in the Iran war has not stabilized Iraq. Instead, it has exposed the country’s structural vulnerability to external conflict and pressure—caught between the United States and Iran, with economic strain, disrupted oil exports, and militia activity amplifying internal fragility.
New Report Identifies Glaring Gap in Iraq’s Wastewater Management
Iraq faces a profound and growing shortage of clean water. Climate change, upstream damming, and rising demand are drastically reducing the volume of freshwater in the Tigris and Euphrates river systems—the nation’s hydrological lifelines. This physical scarcity is exacerbated by a largely unseen crisis: the large-scale contamination of these dwindling resources with untreated wastewater. Iraq’s extensive deficits in wastewater collection and treatment infrastructure, overwhelmed by population growth and decades of neglect, transform wastewater management from a mere environmental concern into
SIX YEARS AFTER TISHREEN: NEW REPORT ON IRAQ’S POPULAR MOVEMENT FOR REFORM
Six years after the Tishreen uprising shook Iraq’s political establishment, the popular struggle for reform continues. In October 2021, EPIC published The Long Game, a groundbreaking study on the birth of this movement. Today, as Iraqis prepare to head to the polls on November 11th, we are proud to release our latest report, which answers a critical new question: What is the state of the pro-reform movement today, and what are its prospects for the future? This report by EPIC