Iraqi security forces arrested at least 47 officials, parliamentarians, and prominent figures on corruption charges overnight on Saturday and into Sunday, in what observers are describing as a rare and sweeping anti-graft operation ordered by Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi. The Green Zone — the heavily fortified district in central Baghdad that houses key government institutions and foreign embassies — was sealed off in the early hours of Sunday morning, with Counter-Terrorism Service personnel deployed across the area before raids spread to other neighbourhoods across the capital, including Yarmouk and Zayouna.

The arrests, carried out under judicial warrants and announced by Iraq's Federal Integrity Commission, were partly triggered by confessions made by Adnan al-Jumaili, the former deputy minister of oil, who was detained in late May on corruption charges. Al-Jumaili reportedly revealed the involvement of officials across both the legislative and executive branches. Authorities are said to have seized around $11 million in cash, approximately 98 billion Iraqi dinars (around $63 million), roughly 1.5 kilograms of gold, some 40 properties across Baghdad, Saladin, and Erbil, as well as large quantities of weapons and ammunition. The Integrity Commission confirmed the operation was the result of coordinated efforts across Iraq's judicial, executive, and legislative branches.

Al-Zaidi, a businessman and political newcomer who took office in May 2026, described Sunday's operation as only