Iraqi security forces arrested dozens of officials in Baghdad on Sunday, including figures linked to Shia parties close to Iran, sources told Iran International, in a sweeping operation tied to a corruption case involving alleged smuggling of Iranian oil.
A source in Baghdad told Iran International that over 30 Iraqi officials had been arrested so far in the operation.
The source said the move followed the recent visit of Tom Barrack, US President Donald Trump’s special envoy, to Iraq and his meeting with newly appointed Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi.
A journalist in Baghdad told Iran International that the arrests included current and former members of parliament.
The journalist said the process was easier because parliament is in its summer recess. Under normal circumstances, legal steps against a sitting lawmaker require parliamentary procedures over immunity, but the recess has made the process less politically exposed.
Iran International has learned from sources in Baghdad that some of those arrested are officials affiliated with Shia parties close to Iran.
Iraqi media have confirmed that the brother of former Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani is among those detained.
A joint force from Iraq’s Counter Terrorism Service, the army and other security bodies began the operation before dawn Sunday in Baghdad’s Green Zone and several other areas of the capital.
The Green Zone is the heavily fortified district that houses Iraq’s parliament, government offices, foreign embassies and the residences of senior political figures.
The operation is said to be linked to the corruption case of Adnan al-Jumaili, a former senior Oil Ministry official detained last month.
Iraqi and regional media have reported that al-Jumaili’s testimony led to arrest warrants against a wider network of officials.
The case is politically sensitive because it is linked not only to corruption but also to allegations involving the smuggling of Iranian oil, a long-running sanctions-evasion channel that has drawn increasing US pressure on Baghdad.
Public reports on the scale of the operation have varied, but Shafaq News, citing well-informed sources, said 43 officials, politicians, businessmen and lawmakers were detained in the first phase of the crackdown. Asharq Al-Awsat earlier cited an Iraqi official as putting the number at 38.
Reuters, citing security and legal sources, described the raids as the start of a broader anti-corruption campaign ordered by Zaidi, who took office in May and has promised to confront corruption and armed groups operating outside state authority.
Zaidi’s government is preparing for closer engagement with Washington, while the United States has pressed Baghdad to curb Iran-backed militias, tighten control over weapons and prevent Iraqi territory from being used by groups aligned with Tehran.
The raids also came on the same day Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi visited Baghdad for talks with senior Iraqi officials, amid heightened regional tensions and renewed attacks involving Iran, the United States and Persian Gulf states.
