This Day In Iraqi History - Jul 31 Foreign companies divided up Iraq’s petroleum concession

 

1918 UK oil expert Adm Slade wrote 1^st Lord of the Admiralty Sir Geddes that UK should seize as

much oil as possible which included fields in Iraq

(Musings On Iraq review Enemy On The Euphrates, The Battle For Iraq 1914-1921)

This Day In Iraqi History - Jul 30 Pres Bakr accused PM Naif and Defense Minister of trying to overthrow govt PM Arrested Allowed Bakr to consolidate power Saddam appointed Dep Sec Gen of Baath Party

 

762 Construction of Round City of Baghdad began by Abbasid Empire

This Day In Iraqi History - Jul 29 Assyrian leader Mar Shimun said he was being detained by govt and would go to League of Nations if Baghdad did nothing about Assyrian demands

 

1933 Assyrian leader Mar Shimun wrote letter to Interior Min Said he was being detained He would

help settle Assyrians If govt did nothing he would go to League of Nations and advocate for Assyrians to leave Iraq Letter sent to ambassadors in Iraq embarrassing govt

(Musings On Iraq review The Tragedy of the Assyrian Minority in Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq review State and Society in Iraq)

This Day In Iraqi History - Jul 28 Iranian Revolutionary Guard invaded Kurdistan to fight KDPI Left behind weapons and equipment for PUK to use against KDP

 

1823 Ottomans and Safavids signed peace treaty that set border between two empires after

Persian invasion of Iraq failed

This Day In Iraqi History - Jul 27 VP Abdul Mahdi’s bodyguards robbed bank in Baghdad Executed 8 guards

 

1912 Work began building railway through Mesopotamia financed by Germany

This Day In Iraqi History Jul 26 Report Iraqi officer said order given to kill all Islamic State prisoners in Battle of Mosul

 

1920 Gertrude Bell wrote that Baghdad started the 1920 Revolt but lost control of it when tribes

rose up and they listened to no one Baghdad did not start revolt

(Musings On Iraq review Enemy On The Euphrates, The Battle For Iraq 1914-1921)

(Musings On Iraq review Reclaiming Iraq, The 1920 Revolution and the Founding of the Modern State)

(Musings On Iraq review Gertrude Bell And Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq review Gertrude Bell, Explorer of the Middle East)

(Musings On Iraq movie review Letters from Baghdad)

(Musings On Iraq review Desert Queen, The Extraordinary Life of Gertrude Bell: Adventurer, Adviser to Kings, Ally of Lawrence of Arabia)

(Musings On Iraq review A Quest in the Middle East, Gertrude Bell and the Making of Modern Iraq)

Musings On Iraq In The News

I was quoted in this article "Israel-Iran war spotlights limitations of Iraq's air defenses" by Paul Iddon for Amwaj.

Review James Baker III and Hamilton, Lee, The Iraq Study Group Report, The Way Forward – A New Approach, Vintage Books, 2006

Baker, James, III and Hamilton, Lee, The Iraq Study Group Report, The Way Forward – A New Approach, Vintage Books, 2006

 

By 2006 the American political establishment finally realized that things were not going right in Iraq. Violence was going up and neither the Iraqis nor the U.S. seemed like they had any answers. That led to several strategy reviews including the independent Iraq Study Group whose main findings are contained within this book. Ironically rather than coming up with a course adjustment the group actually advocated for maintaining the status quo showing that many of the elites didn’t know what the actual policy was in Iraq.

This Day In Iraqi History - Jul 25 Saddam told Amb Glaspie US plotting against him and that he would act against Kuwait if it didn’t give into his demands Glaspie warned him not to use force

 

1915 British attack on Nasiriya restarted and took city

This Day In Iraqi History - Jul 24 Treaty of Lusanne said League of Nations would decide whether Mosul vilayet went to Iraq or Turkey

 

1920 France occupied Syria Defeated King Faisal’s forces leading him to flee Would set sites on

Mesopotamia afterward

(Musings On Iraq review Empires of the Sand, The Struggle For Mastery In The Middle East 1789-1923)

This Day In Iraqi History - Jul 23 Tamerlane took Baghdad Massacred population Destroyed the city

 

1401 Tamerlane and Tartars took Baghdad for 2^nd time Ordered his men to bring him the heads of 2

Baghdadis Were said to be 120 towers of skulls afterwards Ordered city to be flattened Was in revenge for city standing up to him

Security In Iraq Jul 15-21, 2025

 

Pro-Iranian groups continued attacks upon Kurdish targets during the third week of July. There were three straight days of drone strikes in the country.

This Day In Iraqi History - Jul 22 After assuming power Saddam claimed there was a Syrian coup against him and purged the Baath Party of his opponents by having them executed

 

1920 Albu Hassan took Kifil from British 1920 Revolt All of Mid-Euphrates under tribal control

except for Hillah Babil

(Musings On Iraq review Reclaiming Iraq, The 1920 Revolution and the Founding of the Modern State)

(Musings On Iraq review Enemy On The Euphrates, The Battle For Iraq 1914-1921)

This Day In Iraqi History - Jul 21 Natl Sec Adv Hadley began review of US Iraq strategy Would take 6 months and lead to Surge

 

1920 Kufa was surrounded by rebels 1920 Revolt

(Musings On Iraq review Reclaiming Iraq, The 1920 Revolution and the Founding of the Modern State)

(Musings On Iraq review Enemy On The Euphrates, The Battle For Iraq 1914-1921)

This Day In Iraqi History - Jul 20 Ayatollah Khomeini endorsed ceasefire in Iran-Iraq War

 

1920 Pro-Independence delegation of Iraqis met UK High Commissioner Wilson who invited 20

pro-British Iraqis Meeting went nowhere British later tried to arrest pro-independence delegates

(Musings On Iraq review Enemy On The Euphrates, The Battle For Iraq 1914-1921)

This Day In Iraqi History - Jul 19 Qasim started crackdown on Communists hoping to limit their power

 

1733 Safavid siege of Baghdad ended by Ottoman relief force

Musings On Iraq In The News

Musings On Iraq was cited in the new book Rupturing Architecture, Spatial Practices of Refuge in Response to War and Violence in Iraq, 2003-2023 by Sana Murrani. 

 

For a full list of Musings On Iraq's citations click here.  

Review Jean Sasson, Mayada, Daughter Of Iraq, One Woman’s Survival Under Saddam Hussein, New American Library, 2004

Sasson, Jean, Mayada, Daughter Of Iraq, One Woman’s Survival Under Saddam Hussein, New American Library, 2004

 

Ahmed Chalabi and his allies promoted his book Republic of Fear as an expose of the horrors of life in Iraq under Saddam Hussein. The book is actually about how Chalabi mistakenly thought Saddam was a committed Baathist and his policies were what ruined Iraq. It symbolized how out of touch Chalabi was from Iraq which he left when he was very young. A much better book on the Baathist police state is Mayada, Daughter of Iraq, One Woman’s Survival Under Saddam Hussein. It tells the story of a woman of privilege who was arrested by the secret police for a crime she didn’t commit. She explained the evils of Saddam and his family along with the lives of the other innocents she was imprisoned with.

This Day In Iraqi History - Jul 18 Iran and Iraq agreed to ceasefire to end Iran-Iraq War

 

1921 Christian Jewish Muslim notables had meeting at Grad Rabbi’s house in Baghdad Gave

support for Faisal to be king after much lobbying by Gertrude Bell

(Musings On Iraq review Gertrude Bell And Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq review Gertrude Bell, Explorer of the Middle East)

(Musings On Iraq movie review Letters from Baghdad)

(Musings On Iraq review Desert Queen, The Extraordinary Life of Gertrude Bell: Adventurer, Adviser to Kings, Ally of Lawrence of Arabia)

(Musings On Iraq review A Quest in the Middle East, Gertrude Bell and the Making of Modern Iraq)

This Day In Iraqi History - Jul 17 Gen Bakr led Baathist coup overthrowing Arif govt

 

869 Deposed Abbasid Caliph Mutazz executed by Turkish soldiers

(Musings On Iraq review when baghdad ruled the muslim world, the rise and fall of islam’s greatest dynasty)

Trump Puts New Tariffs On Iraq

 

On July 9 President Trump announced a new 30% tariff on Iraq. This was actually lower than the 39% tariff imposed in April. The tax did not include oil which is the main product the United States buys from Iraq. That caused confusion in Baghdad as to what the point of the action was.

This Day In Iraqi History - Jul 16 Saddam told chiefs of staff he was going to invade Iran

 

1919 UK India Office official Sir Hirtzel told chief political officer in Iraq Wilson there was

going to be an Arab state in Iraq or there would be a revolt

(Musings On Iraq review Enemy On The Euphrates, The Battle For Iraq 1914-1921)

(Musings On Iraq review When God Made Hell, The British Invasion of Mesopotamia and the Creation of Iraq, 1914-1921)

Iraq's Pro-Iran Factions Making Show Of Force At Start Of July

After not participating in the Iran-Israel War pro-Tehran factions in Iraq have started targeting the Kurds in July. At the start of the month there was also a rare incident by the Islamic State.

This Day In Iraqi History - Jul 15 PM Nuri al-Said killed in aftermath of 1958 coup

 

1914 US consulate in Baghdad reported Sayid Talib and Ottoman forces attacked Sheikh

Ajaimi of Montafiq Confederation in Zubayr Basra vilayet Talib won battle and took town Gave Talib de facto control of all of Basra Led to dismissal of Ottoman governor of vilayet

This Day In Iraqi History - Jul 14 Gen Qasim and Col Arif overthrew the monarchy in a coup

 

1915 US consulate report Worried that sectarian war might start with Shiites turning on

Sunni Ottomans due to troubles in Karbala and Najaf

This Day In Iraqi History - Jul 13 Iranian troops invaded Iraq 1st time in Iran-Iraq War

 

1920 Tribal forces surrounded British garrison at Abu Skhair during 1920 Revolt

This Day In Iraqi History - Jul 12 Zarqawi told fmr mentor Maqdisi important to attack Shiites more than non-Muslims Accused Shiites of starting sectarian violence

 

1923 1^st Parliamentary elections resumed after protests by Shiite clergy led to delay Assembly

wouldn’t meet until Mar 1924

Review Richard Lowry, Marines in the Garden of Eden, The True Story of Seven Bloody Days in Iraq, Berkeley Publishing Group, 2006

Lowry, Richard, Marines in the Garden of Eden, The True Story of Seven Bloody Days in Iraq, Berkeley Publishing Group, 2006

 

Nasiriya was the biggest battle the Americans fought during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Initially the Marines didn’t think the Iraqis would put up much resistance but it turned into a week-long operation. Richard Lowry tells the most comprehensive story of what happened.

This Day In Iraqi History – Jul 11 Saddam took over leadership of Iraq after Pres Bakr resigned as head of Revolutionary Command Council

 

869 Abbasid Caliph Mutazz confronted by Turkish soldiers who wanted to be paid Mutazz beaten

and forced to resign Muhtadi became new caliph

(Musings On Iraq review when baghdad ruled the muslim world, the rise and fall of islam’s greatest dynasty)

This Day In Iraqi History - Jul 10 PM Abadi declared Mosul freed from IS after 9 months Fighting continued in city

 

1920 Lead political officer in Iraq Wilson sent telegram to India Office Said threat to Iraq was

external coming from Turkey Syria Bolsheviks 1920 Revolt had just started

This Day In Iraqi History - Jul 9 Al Qaeda’s Zawahiri told Zarqawi should include more Iraqis in his group and warned against killing Iraqi civilians which could cost him support

 

1920 UK forces withdrew from Najaf turning over city to rebels who set up their own govt

(Musings On Iraq review Reclaiming Iraq, The 1920 Revolution and the Founding of the Modern State)

(Musings On Iraq review Enemy On The Euphrates, The Battle For Iraq 1914-1921)

Iraq’s Oil Exports Up In June But Financial Worries Continue

Iraq’s oil exports and revenue were slightly up in June. They could’ve been higher if not for the Iran-Israel War.

This Day In Iraqi History - Jul 8 Saddam survived assassination attempt in Dujail Would destroy town 1500 people arrested 150 executed

 

1920 Rebels derailed 6 trains going from Diwaniya to Samawa to disrupt flow of British troops and

supplies

(Musings On Iraq review Reclaiming Iraq, The 1920 Revolution and the Founding of the Modern State)

(Musings On Iraq review Enemy On The Euphrates, The Battle For Iraq 1914-1921)

This Day In Iraqi History - Jul 7 Iraq’s concealment committee decided to reveal that Iraq had a nuclear program to UN inspectors while secretly destroying its WMD stockpiles Would prove long term problem because Iraq could never prove it got rid of its weapons

 

1921 American consul in Baghdad wrote that Faisal would become King of Iraq even though he                          was unpopular in the country

This Day In Iraqi History - Jul 6 Saddam Hussein told Baath leadership he was going to invade Iran

 

1915 UK took Suq al-Shuyuk, Dhi Qar after defeating Turk-Arab forces outside town day

before

(Musings On Iraq review When God Made Hell, The British Invasion of Mesopotamia and the Creation of Iraq, 1914-1921)

This Day In Iraqi History - Jul 5 1920 Revolt leaders demanded full independence for Iraq

 

1915 British attacked Turk-Arab force outside Suq al-Shuyuk and defeated them

(Musings On Iraq review When God Made Hell, The British Invasion of Mesopotamia and the Creation of Iraq, 1914-1921)

Review Jeanette Winter, The Librarian of Basra, A True Story from Iraq, Harcourt Children’s Books, 2005

Winter, Jeanette, The Librarian of Basra, A True Story from Iraq, Harcourt Children’s Books, 2005

 

I didn’t know there were children’s books about Iraq in English until I saw The Librarian of Basra by Jeanette Winter. It’s a picture book telling the story of Alia Muhammad Baker during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. As you can guess it’s about how she saved the Basra city library during the war.

This Day In Iraqi History - Jul 4 Islamic State’s Baghdadi declared caliphate from Mosul Said ISIS would now be Islamic State and he was Caliph Ibrahim

 

1917 Al-Arab paper established Said it was for Arabs but was actually run by British eventually

under Gertrude Bell

(Musings On Iraq review Gertrude Bell And Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq review Gertrude Bell, Explorer of the Middle East)

(Musings On Iraq movie review Letters from Baghdad)

(Musings On Iraq review Desert Queen, The Extraordinary Life of Gertrude Bell: Adventurer, Adviser to Kings, Ally of Lawrence of Arabia)

Iraq Suffers Blackouts For 2nd Month Due To Cuts In Iranian Gas Exports

Iraq is suffering the second month of power outages due to cutbacks in Iranian energy exports.

This Day In Iraqi History - Jul 3 IS car bomb in Baghdad set off fire in mall Killed 324 Wounded 200 One of the deadliest bombings

 

1923 35 clerics and religious students left Iraq for Persia to protest deportation of cleric Khalisi for his

opposition to parliamentary elections  

This Day In Iraqi History - Jul 2 ISIS leader Baghdadi declared caliphate established

 

1922 Law passed to establish political parties in Iraq

Pro-Iran Factions Carried Out Limited Attacks In Iraq During Israel-Iran Conflict

June saw the return of pro-Iran factions which carried out a limited series of attacks in Iraq in support of Tehran during the Israel-Iran conflict.

This Day In Iraqi History - Jul 1 IS released recording declaring a new caliphate

 

1920 British army facing revolt in Rumaitha told no reinforcements coming because railways

destroyed Railway fixed and reinforcements arrived later that day

(Musings On Iraq review Reclaiming Iraq, The 1920 Revolution and the Founding of the Modern State)

(Musings On Iraq review Enemy On The Euphrates, The Battle For Iraq 1914-1921)