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The Iraqi govt said it was looking to determine the cause of the blackout, and had begun restoring power stations and transmission lines.
A drone strike in Iraq’s northeastern city of Sulaymaniyah in the autonomous Kurdistan region late on March 3, 2026. (AFP photo)
Iraq is facing a nationwide power blackout, the country’s Electricity Ministry said on Wednesday, as tensions in the Middle East continue to escalate. Officials did not immediately identify the cause of the outage.
“The power grid has completely shut down across all Iraqi provinces,” the ministry said, according to the Iraqi News Agency (INA). Efforts are underway to restore power stations and transmission lines while the cause of the blackout is investigated.
Parts of Iraq have come under repeated attacks since the outbreak of the conflict involving Israel, the United States, and Iran.
Iraq has been hit by a total blackout. There’s no electricity across the entire country – Iraq’s Ministry of Electricity. pic.twitter.com/M6Q7rbTqXf— Beefeater (@Beefeater_Fella) March 4, 2026
The security situation has deteriorated further on Wednesday, with two drones shot down near Baghdad International Airport, just hours after a similar attack on the facility, according to Iraqi security sources.
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“Two drones were downed near Baghdad airport, with no casualties or material damage reported,” one source said. The airport hosts a military base with a US diplomatic facility and previously accommodated US-led coalition troops.
Meanwhile, explosions were reported in Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s northern Kurdistan region. Loud bangs were mostly heard near Erbil airport, which also hosts US-led coalition forces.
Drones have been repeatedly intercepted over the city since the conflict began, and the northern region is home to a major US consulate complex.
The US embassy in Baghdad has urged all American citizens to leave Iraq immediately. “US citizens in Iraq are strongly encouraged to depart as soon as they are safely able to do so, and shelter in place until such time as conditions are safe to depart,” the embassy said on X.
Earlier today, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards claimed they had struck armed opposition groups hostile to Tehran in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region.
(With inputs from agencies)
March 04, 2026, 11:14 PM IST
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