Top 10 Iraq War Developments — Past 24 Hours
September 25, 2026
- Iraq pushes militia disarmament deadline to June 2027; two hardline factions refuse
- PM Ali al-Zaidi unveiled a revised, phased disarmament framework for Iran-backed armed factions, extending the original Sept. 30 target to June 2027.
- A 90-day mutual freeze begins Sept. 30: militias halt operations while state/remaining forces refrain from targeting them.
- Asaib Ahl al-Haq, Kataib Imam Ali, and Saraya al-Salam signaled compliance; Kataib Hezbollah and Harakat al-Nujaba rejected the plan, demanding full foreign troop withdrawal first.
- Source: Kurdistan24 — https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/story/941102/al-zaidi-sets-june-2027-deadline-for-militia-disarmament-under-phased-plan (also Eastern Herald — https://easternherald.com/2026/09/25/iraq-militia-disarmament-pmf-zaidi-deadline/)
- All Iraqi airports halt flights to and from Iran under new US aviation sanctions
- Baghdad, Najaf, Erbil, Sulaymaniyah, and Kirkuk airports suspended Iranian carrier flights starting Friday.
- Move follows new US sanctions targeting aviation links with Iran amid the wider regional war.
- Iran-aligned Iraqi political and armed factions condemned the suspension; lawmakers threatened to summon government officials.
- Source: Al Jazeera — https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/25/iraqi-airports-halt-iranian-flights-after-new-us-aviation-sanctions
- US signs deal to hand over Baghdad airport diplomatic hub to Iraq
- Washington and Baghdad signed an agreement transferring the US diplomatic support site at Baghdad International Airport to Iraqi authorities.
- Move comes ahead of the Sept. 30 deadline for the US-led coalition’s military mission to end in Iraq.
- Iraqi FM confirmed the handover as part of the broader post-coalition transition.
- Source: The National — https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2026/09/25/us-signs-deal-to-hand-over-diplomatic-hub-at-baghdad-airport-to-iraqi-government/
- Rubio warns of Iraq “Balkanisation” absent full militia disarmament
- US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, meeting PM al-Zaidi at the UN General Assembly, warned Iraq risks fragmentation from “independent forces operating” outside state control.
- Analysts split on the warning: some read it as describing institutional fracture from Iran-aligned groups, others as diplomatic pressure rather than imminent territorial breakup.
- Remarks came just before the coalition withdrawal deadline and amid militia pushback on disarmament.
- Source: Al Jazeera — https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/24/rubio-warns-of-iraq-balkanisation-is-that-a-real-threat
- Iraqi FM: new weapons-control plan coming; “economy is the Iran war’s first victim”
- Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said Baghdad will unveil a fresh weapons-control plan to rein in armed factions amid regional fallout.
- He said Iraq’s economy has borne the earliest and heaviest cost of the ongoing US-Iran war.
- Statement ties economic strain directly to the unresolved militia-disarmament and sanctions disputes.
- Source: Hatha Alyoum — https://en.hathalyoum.net/articles/298331
- Turkey agrees to gradual handover of Bashiqa-Zilkan bases; Sinjar security deal reached
- Presidents Erdogan and al-Zaidi agreed on a phased Turkish military withdrawal from bases near Mosul, including Bashiqa and Zilkan.
- Ankara and Baghdad also agreed to restore Iraqi state authority in Sinjar.
- Deal struck on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly amid the broader coalition drawdown.
- Source: Al Jazeera — https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/24/turkiye-agrees-to-gradual-handover-of-bashiqa-base-to-iraq
- Trump and Iraqi PM al-Zaidi discuss postwar arrangements in New York
- Trump and al-Zaidi met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly to discuss bilateral ties and regional stability.
- Talks focused on the framework for US-Iraq relations after the coalition mission ends Sept. 30.
- Meeting drew scrutiny in Baghdad over what commitments, if any, were made on troop presence and security guarantees.
- Source: Asharq Al-Awsat — https://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5322354-meeting-between-al-zaidi-trump-raises-questions-baghdad
- Iraq’s National Security Service arrests 54 in nationwide anti-terror sweep
- INSS executed more than 1,500 arrest warrants nationwide, netting 54 terrorism-related arrests.
- Campaign described as part of an intensified push to root out sleeper cells ahead of the coalition’s exit.
- Operation spanned multiple provinces as part of ongoing state security consolidation.
- Source: Hatha Alyoum — https://en.hathalyoum.net/articles/298138
- Iraqi CTS “Air Falcons” strikes dismantle remaining ISIS hideouts
- Counter-Terrorism Service, working with Air Force units, conducted precision strikes on ISIS remnant cells using intelligence from surveillance and informants.
- Recent strikes hit a command site in Wadi Narin (Hamrin Mountains) and cells south of Kirkuk in Wadi al-Shai, with insurgents killed and safe houses destroyed.
- Officials say Iraqi forces are increasingly leading counter-ISIS operations independently as the coalition withdraws.
- Source: Al-Fassel News — https://alfasselnews.com/en_GB/articles/gc1/features/2026/09/25/feature-03/Iraqi-precision-strikes-dismantle-remaining-ISIS-terror-cells
- Basra tribesmen free hijacked oil tanker in Gulf of Aden
- About 40 members of Basra’s Al-Shaghanba tribe mounted a rescue operation after pirates seized an Iraqi-linked oil tanker.
- Tribesmen captured seven alleged hijackers and secured the crew’s release; some suspects escaped.
- Vessel’s owner was a tribe member; authorities have not released further details on the tanker or operation timing.
- Source: Hatha Alyoum — https://en.hathalyoum.net/articles/298354
#News, #Iran, #War
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