The Latest Breaking News from Baghdad

A power struggle in Iraq between the Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and rivals aligned with Iran is testing Tehran's ability to stave off a conflict that could damage its interests and further destabilize the oil-rich country. With Sadr supporters camped out in parliament and his opponents protesting in the streets,…

A power struggle in Iraq between the Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and rivals aligned with Iran is testing Tehran's ability to stave off a conflict that could damage its interests and further destabilise the oil-rich country.

Iraqi Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr made a surprise move on Monday by offering “conditional reconciliation” with head of the Fatah alliance, Hadi al-Ameri, of the rival Shiite Coordination Framework. Thousands of Iraqis took to the streets of Baghdad Monday in counter-protests as rival supporters of Sadr extended their occupation of…

Thousands of al-Sadr supporters resume their sit-in inside parliament in Baghdad as counter-protests take place nearby.

Rallies in support of cleric Moqtada al-Sadr follow occupation of Iraqi parliament amid a political vacuum

Baghdad braced for demonstrations on Monday by rival Shi'ite Muslim groups which are affiliated with heavily armed militias, raising fears of clashes as tension soars over the formation of a government.

The Iraqi Defense Ministry denied on Monday reports of defections in the military. The army and all its members are in service of the people and they stand at an equal distance from them, it said in a statement. Social media posts had claimed that a military infantry unit had…

Followers of an influential cleric have pledged to continue the sit-in to derail efforts from Iran-backed groups to form the country's next government.

A retired British geologist jailed in Iraq for antiquities smuggling has been freed and has left the country, his family said Sunday. Jim Fitton, 66, was sentenced in June to 15 years in an Iraqi prison. A Baghdad appeals court overturned the conviction and last week ordered his release. Fitton…

A power struggle in Iraq between the influential Shi'ite cleric Moqtada Sadr and Iran-backed Shi'ite rivals has escalated with his supporters breaking into parliament and beginning an open-ended sit-in protest.

Supporters of Iraqi populist leader Moqtada al-Sadr erected tents and prepared for an open-ended sit-in at Iraq's parliament on Sunday, in a move that could prolong political deadlock or plunge the country into fresh violence.