The appointment of a Turkmen governor in Iraq’s oil-rich Kirkuk is anything but routine, not least because it marks the first time in nearly a century that the post has gone to a figure from the Turkmen community.

As questions mount over the future of Iraq’s Sunni-majority provinces in the aftermath of the U.S.-Israeli War on Iran, most Sunni political leaders remain notably absent.

For the first time in decades, Iraq has turned to overland fuel exports through Syria, a move that underscores the scale of disruption hitting its traditional shipping routes as war on Iran intensifies, particularly around the Strait of Hormuz.

Faisal bin Farhan al Saud’s criticism of the Popular Mobilization Forces triggered Iraqi backlash but no official escalation.

A US defense official stated that American forces have conducted operations in Iraq concurrently with the military campaign being carried out by the U.S. and “Israel” against Iran.