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  Iraqi Cleric Bans Work for Foreign Oil

  Anti-American firebrand cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has banned his followers from accepting jobs with foreign oil companies working in southern Iraq, his spokesman said.

• A Formula to Get Power in Iraq

  Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has adopted a controversial points system to award cabinet posts based on political parties' performance in parliamentary elections.

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  Baghdad Wrangling Rattles Iran Ties

  As Iraqi politicians wrangle through a seventh month of government-formation talks, an unexpected casualty is emerging: Iranian influence over the country's fractured Shiite groups.

  • Photos: Shiites Split in Iraq
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  Cables Reveal a Very Busy Iran in Iraq

  Leaked U.S. diplomatic cables provide new details on the U.S. assessment of how Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps has promoted Tehran's influence in Iraq.

  • Latin Americans Revel in Leaks
  • Opinion: Dictators, Democracies and WikiLeaks
  • Graphic: A Timeline of WikiLeaks
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  Iraq's Maliki Pushes to Bolster Power

  Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki signaled his determination to bolster the powers of his office, while pushing political rivals, prospective coalition partners and parliament to be more cooperative.

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  Iraq Coalition Pact Hits Snags

  Iraqi lawmakers took the first steps toward implementing a power-sharing agreement to establish a coalition government, but a dispute during parliamentary proceedings underscored the fragility of the deal.

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  Iraqi Insurgents Battle for Dominance

  A fight has intensified among Iraqi insurgent groups representing competing sects and political factions seeking to gain power through violence in anticipation of next year's full withdrawal of U.S. forces.

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  Iraq's Oil Patch Opens the Spigot

  Some of the world's largest energy companies are ramping up drilling in Iraq, as the government attempts an expansion of output that could help moderate world energy prices for years to come.

  • Photos: From Militia Town to Metropolis
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  Blasts Kill Scores in Baghdad

  More than a dozen coordinated car bombings ripped through the Iraqi capital late Tuesday, killing more than 50, raising concern about the ability of Iraqi security forces to protect the capital.

  • Video: Baghdad Reeling After Blasts
  • Video: Scene of Carnage Inside Iraq Church
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  U.S. Resists Role for Iraq Cleric

  The U.S. ambassador to Iraq said any significant government role for radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's movement could affect Washington's ability to maintain a strategic partnership with Baghdad.

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  Baghdad Attack Kills at Least 18

  At least 18 people were killed in an attack against Iraqi army facilities in central Baghdad, just days after the U.S. ended its combat mission.

  • Photos | Complete Coverage
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  Obama Marks New Focus in Iraq, at Home

  Obama formally declared an end to combat operations in Iraq and, during an Oval Office address, planned to vow to refocus the government from prosecuting wars to rebuilding the economy.

  • News Hub: Obama to Focus on Economy
  • Vote: How would you grade Obama's speech?
  • New U.S. Operation Begins in Iraq
  • Full Text of Speech | Photos: A Look Back
  • Graphics: Casualties in Iraq | War's Toll
  • Complete Coverage: Iraq in Transition
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  U.S. Mission Leaves Imprint on Families

  As the U.S. marked the official last day of its combat operations Tuesday, Iraqis look back on the dramatic impact of the American intervention with mixed feelings.

  • Photos: Baghdad Families Begin Next Chapter
  • Video: One Family's Story of a Missing Son

• New Battle: Will Surge Translate?

  Though the fighting appears to be over for U.S. troops in Iraq, the battle still rages over how those forces brought the country a measure of stability—and whether Gen. David Petraeus's surge strategy will work in Afghanistan.

• Obama Focuses on Veterans

  Obama pledged to support soldiers returning from Iraq as the U.S. prepares to end its combat mission there next week.

  • Iraq on Alert for Terror Attacks
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  An Architect of U.S. Strategy Waits to Pop Cork

  Retired U.S. Army Col. Pete Mansoor, an architect of General David Petraeus's Iraq strategy, says the country's most important milestone is yet to come.

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  Oil Leads Advance in Iraq's Economy

  A boost in Iraq's oil production fueled by development deals with international oil companies could provide a broader lift to an economy that, while shaky, is beginning to benefit from renewed growth and tame inflation.

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  Series of Attacks Hits Iraq Cities

  More than a dozen bombs tore across Iraq, killing at least 55 people, in a display of insurgent activity that underscores the fragility of the country.

  • Photos: Multiple Attacks Kill Dozens
  • Map: Iraq Under Attack
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  Iraq Weighs New Federal Post

  Senior Iraqi politicians involved in forming a new government said they are weighing the creation of a new federal position that could break the logjam over which faction gets the coveted premiership.

  • Impasse Irritates Baghdad
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  Dozens Killed at Iraq Recruitment Site

  A suicide bomber killed at least 46 people and wounded more than 60 others as young men congregated for the last day of an army-recruitment drive in Baghdad, the latest in a series of attacks targeting Iraqi security forces.

  • Video: Blast Targets Baghdad Army Base
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  U.S. Urges Iraqi Deal Before Pullout

  White House advisers are working against the clock to get deadlocked Iraqi politicians to form a new government before the end of August, when the U.S. combat mission ends.

  • Washington Wire: Text of Obama's Speech
  • Interactive: Key Words in Speeches on Iraq
  • Graphic: Casualties in Iraq | Complete Coverage
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  Biden Urges End to Iraqi Deadlock

  U.S. Vice President Joe Biden left Baghdad Monday after a three-day visit to the Iraqi capital in the midst of a seemingly intractable political stalemate that has yet to produce a government, even as U.S. troops begin to withdraw en masse.

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  Iraq's Kurds Seek Guarantees

  Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish region wants written guarantees from Iraq's political leaders that key Kurdish issues will be protected before it backs a new Iraqi government.

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  Consortium Seals Iraq Oil Deal

  Cnooc and state-run Turkish Petroleum clinched a final deal to develop the prized 2.5-billion-barrel Missan oil field complex in southern Iraq.

• Iraqi Lawmakers Allowed to Serve

  The Iraqi government-backed committee vetting politicians for ties to Saddam Hussein's disbanded party won't push to disqualify newly elected parliamentarians, a move that could ease political tensions.

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  Violence Shakes Iraq, Killing 100

  Assailants killed nearly 100 people across Iraq, with a series of bombings in central Iraq at a textile factory at quitting time and a string of shootings targeting Iraqi security forces in the capital.

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  Iraq Shiite Blocs Form Alliance

  Two of Iraq's Shiite blocs announced an alliance that puts them close to a parliamentary minority needed to form a new government.

  • Complete Coverage: WSJ.com/Mideast