Baghdad: The Iraqi Parliament has passed a law criminalising same-sex relations and vowing tough penalties against them in a decision that rights advocates decried as discriminating against the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. The legislature on Saturday voted for an amendment to a 1988 anti-prostitution law, penalising homosexuality by 10 to 15 years … Read more
Iraq’s parliament passed a law criminalizing same-sex relationships with a maximum 15-year prison sentence on Saturday, in a move it said aimed to uphold religious values but was condemned by rights advocates as the latest attack on the LGBT community in Iraq. The law aims to “protect Iraqi society from moral depravity and the … Read more
Four expatriate workers were killed in a drone attack targeting the Khor Mor gas field in Iraq’s Kurdistan region on Friday, an advisor to the Iraqi Kurdish prime minister told Reuters. Production has also been suspended, the advisor to the Iraqi Kurdish prime minister and a senior Kurdish politician said. The four expatriate workers … Read more
President Biden appointed Lise Grande to replace Ambassador David Satterfield as the Special Envoy for Middle East Humanitarian Issues, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday morning in a statement. Biden created this position in the immediate aftermath of Hamas’ attacks on October 7 to ” lead US regional diplomacy to surge humanitarian aid … Read more
An explosion at a site used by Iranian-backed Shi’ite militias in Iraq has focused a spotlight on the role that these groups play in Iraq and their threat to the region. The site of the explosion, around 50 kms. north of Baghdad, overnight Friday, includes a hangar and several concrete walls, and is part … Read more
At least five rockets were launched from Iraq’s town of Zummar towards a US military base in northeastern Syria on Sunday, two Iraqi security sources told Reuters. The attack against US forces is the first since early February when Iranian-backed groups in Iraq stopped their attacks against US troops. The attack comes on the … Read more
One killed and six wounded in an airstrike on a military base used by Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) to the south of Baghdad on Friday, according to Iraqi sources. Significant strikes were carried out overnight between Friday and Saturday against targets of Iranian-backed militias in Iraq, south of Baghdad, as reported by Saudi-owned … Read more
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi called Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid to call for a “collective effort” against Israel, according to a report in the pro-Iranian Al-Mayadeen media. “Stopping the genocide carried out by the Israeli occupation against the people of Gaza is an important legal and humanitarian responsibility for all Muslims and free people … Read more
Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi spoke to Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ Al Sudani on Wednesday evening. Raisi said that Israel would pay a “heavy price” for an airstrike in Damascus, for which Tehran blames Jerusalem. He discussed the “martyrdom” of Maj.-Gen. Mohammed Reza Zahedi, an IRGC leader, was killed in the Syrian capital. Sudani … Read more
Iranian pro-regime media admitted the loss of a prominent leader named Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a top commander in the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), on Monday night. Iranian pro-government Tasnim media noted that he was a member of the Quds force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. This is a major loss for Iran … Read more
