Iraq

The United States military on Thursday conducted five airstrikes targeting Kata'ib Hezbollah facilities in Iraq. What Happened The facilities targeted were used for storing weapons, and the strikes would "significantly degrade [Hezbollah's] ability to conduct future attacks"...

Just ten days after Iraqi Parliament voted to expel American soldiers from the country, the U.S. military has resumed joint operations against the Islamic State groups in Iraq, according to the New York Times. What Happened The joint operations between the U.S. and Iraqi forces started on...

The United States is considering withdrawing $250 million in military aid to Iraq if the country expels American troops from the country, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday. What Happened President Donald Trump's administration could also abandon a host of other economic and...

Following Tuesday night's Iranian missile attack on U.S. military assets based in Iraq, the Federal Aviation Administration banned U.S. airlines from flying in the airspace over Iran and Iraq and the waters of the Persian Gulf and the Gulf Oman. In a statement released around 9 p.m. EST, the FAA...

President Donald Trump’s decision last week to use a drone strike to kill Iran’s top general, Qasem Soleimani, pushed defense stocks higher in the days that followed and Iran's response has those stocks higher again. Reports emerged Tuesday evening that Iran fired more than two...

Multiple missiles fired by Iran struck the Al-Assad and Irbil Airbases in Iraq early Wednesday morning local time. The targeted airbases hosted American troops. "We are aware of the reports of attacks on U.S. facilities in Iraq. The President has been briefed and is monitoring the...

President Trump is threatening severe sanctions against Iraq if the country succeeds in ordering the removal of U.S. troops from the Middle East country. The Iraqi parliament over the weekend passed a resolution calling for U.S. and other coalition forces to leave the country in response to the...

The major headline on Wall Street last week was President Donald Trump’s decision to use a drone strike to kill Iran’s top general, Qasem Soleimani. Escalating tensions between the U.S. and Iran rattled stocks, but the incident benefited a handful of defense stocks. Since last...

The effect of the U.S. airstrikes at the Baghdad Airport that killed prominent Iranian military leader Qassem Soleimani continued to be seen on financial assets on Monday as Iran's threat to retaliate looms. Commodities Oil futures prices continued to surge Monday as the Iraqi parliament passed...

The government of Iran will no longer abide by any nuclear enrichment restrictions originally set as part of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) agreement in 2015, it announced on Sunday. What Happened "The Islamic Republic of Iran will end its final limitations in the nuclear deal...

The Iraqi parliament on Sunday voted to pass a resolution expelling all foreign troops from the country, Reuters reported. What Happened The resolution, while non-binding, is likely to be turned into law, given the current climate, Reuters noted. It will abolish the 2014 agreement under which a US-...

In trading, there are definitely times when it's better to be lucky than good. Then there are times when a trader is good, but unlucky. Following news of the death of General Qassem Soleimani, a bloody despot Iranian military leader, it looks some traders using leveraged energy sector exchange...

Oil prices held on to their record gains on Monday even as the U.S. air strikes in Iraq and Syria on Sunday increased political tensions in the Middle East. What Happened The U.S. forces carried five "defensive strikes " at bases controlled by Iran-backed Shia militia Kata'ib...

U.S. Army Spc. Brian Wilhelm was stationed in the Iraqi town of Balad when a rocket-propelled grenade blew up his leg. The pain was as bad as the actual injury that would eventually claim the demolished limb. Wilhelm was rushed to a MASH unit on the front. An Army colonel and anesthesiologist named...

A federal judge has broadened the definition of a “close relative” in President Donald Trump’s executive order meant to ban people from traveling to the United States from six predominantly Muslim nations. Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court said it would take up the ban when it...