Iraq PM Ali al‑Zaidi orders anti‑corruption raid, arrests 47 officials in Baghdad Green Zone

Early on Sunday, June 28, 2026, elite Iraqi security forces sealed off the heavily fortified Green Zone in Baghdad and raided homes and offices of senior officials. The operation resulted in the arrest of 47 people, including at least five members of parliament and numerous high‑ranking government officials, such as a deputy oil minister. The arrests were based on statements from former deputy oil minister Adnan al‑Jumaili, who had been detained the previous month and implicated a wide network of corruption involving oil contracts, money laundering and financing of Iran‑backed militias.

Prime Minister Ali al‑Zaidi, who took office in May, announced the crackdown as the first phase of a broader anti‑corruption campaign and warned that no one, even those previously granted parliamentary immunity, is above the law. Authorities seized roughly $85 million in cash, plus properties, vehicles, gold, weapons and ammunition. The raids are seen as a political shake‑up targeting factions linked to former prime minister Mohammed Shia al‑Sudani and the Iran‑aligned coordination framework, and come ahead of Zaidi’s planned visit to Washington, raising expectations of reforms and potential effects on Iraq’s oil market and internal power balance.