More than 800 electronic extortion cases were addressed, the majority involving women, during the first nine months of this year, the Iraqi Interior Ministry announced on Wednesday, amid a push to reduce harassment and blackmail in the country despite outdated laws.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) spokesperson on Wednesday demanded several conditions to end the war, namely that the United States must stop its threats and accept Tehran's terms, Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon, the release of $24 billion in frozen Iranian assets, and an end to interference in Tehran’s nuclear program.

An explosion on Wednesday in a warehouse for collecting weapons and war remnants in Syria's western Idlib province led to 14 deaths and 14 injuries, as civil defense crews fight fires, clear unexploded ordnance, and search for victims.

The ruling Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and the opposition New Generation Movement (NGM) announced on Wednesday that their alliance “remains open” to government formation talks, signaling adherence to their earlier position of entering the negotiations as a single bloc - which has been categorically rejected by the ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) - amid a two-year-long political impasse.

Iraqi airstrikes targeted alleged Islamic State (ISIS) remnants in Salahaddin province on Wednesday, the Security Media Cell (SMC) said, amid a surge in strikes following early July clashes that killed an Iraqi military officer.

The Iraqi Embassy in Beijing told Rudaw on Wednesday it has been officially notified by the authorities in Qingdao regarding the tragic passing of a Kurdish PhD student, Mohammed Hadi, as investigations by Chinese police disclosed drowning as the cause of death.

An oil tanker was hit by “an unknown projectile” near Iraq’s key southern port, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said Wednesday. The incident marks the fourth notable maritime drone and projectile attack recorded in Iraqi territorial waters since the outbreak of the Iran war in late February.

A vessel at anchor was seen listing off the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) coast, the British navy monitor reported on Wednesday, attributing the incident to “water ingress” caused by an attack. This comes as regional tensions escalated overnight after a series of strikes and counter-strikes between Iran and the US.