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Kadhimi Slams Arrest Warrants against Ex-Govt Officials in Iraq’s ‘Heist of the Century’

Then Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi poses in his office during an interview with The Associated Press in Baghdad, Iraq, on July 23, 2021. (AP)
Then Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi poses in his office during an interview with The Associated Press in Baghdad, Iraq, on July 23, 2021. (AP)
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Kadhimi Slams Arrest Warrants against Ex-Govt Officials in Iraq’s ‘Heist of the Century’

Then Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi poses in his office during an interview with The Associated Press in Baghdad, Iraq, on July 23, 2021. (AP)
Then Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi poses in his office during an interview with The Associated Press in Baghdad, Iraq, on July 23, 2021. (AP)

Former Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi criticized on Saturday the arrest warrants issued against a former minister who served in his government.

The Commission of integrity had issued the warrants against four senior officials in Kadhimi’s former government, including his finance minister, for their alleged facilitation of the theft of $2.5 billion in public funds, known in the country as the "heist of the century."

The three other men are staff members in the former government.

The four men are accused of "facilitating the embezzlement of sums belonging to the tax authorities," the Commission of integrity said, adding that they would also be subject to an asset freeze.

Kadhimi slammed the warrants, saying they were "selective" and aimed at diverting attention from the investigations.

"They are repeated attempts to cover up the real criminals," he declared in a statement.

The warrants do not name any of the officials, but according to an official who spoke on condition of anonymity, they are former finance minister Ali Allawi, the director of cabinet Raed Jouhi, personal secretary Ahmed Najati, and adviser Mushrik Abbas.

Kadhimi defended the former officials, stating they have "fully performed their duties according to the law."

They are not connected to the tax file, "which is evidence that the issuing of the warrants is politically motivated," he went on to say.

The warrants are aimed at targeting political rivals for the purpose of creating media and political uproar instead of actually pursuing the real culprits, he charged

"How can those who exposed the theft be held responsible and those who actually committed it be rewarded?" he wondered.

Moreover, Kadhimi said the arrests were issued by sides that are connected to political parties, and therefore, are not independent.

It is evident that this is part of a plot to target and settle scores with anyone connected to the former government, he added.

Furthermore, he stressed that his government had since its appointment in 2020 demanded audits of taxes. The ensuing probe led to the arrest of suspects, who were referred to the judiciary.

The details of the probe were "transparently and courageously" released to the public, he said.

He demanded that the "honest Iraqi judiciary" carry out its duties with the support of a transparent and just international investigation that would expose the real culprits and put an end to political acts of vengeance.

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Arab World

Egypt Says Only Trump Can Stop War, Warns Oil Could Top $200

US President Donald Trump shakes hands with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi during a bilateral meeting at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, January 21, 2026. (Reuters)
US President Donald Trump shakes hands with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi during a bilateral meeting at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, January 21, 2026. (Reuters)
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Egypt Says Only Trump Can Stop War, Warns Oil Could Top $200

US President Donald Trump shakes hands with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi during a bilateral meeting at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, January 21, 2026. (Reuters)
US President Donald Trump shakes hands with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi during a bilateral meeting at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, January 21, 2026. (Reuters)

Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi urged US President Donald Trump on Monday to stop the Iran war and said fears of the oil price going above $200 were not exaggerated.

"I tell President Trump: nobody can stop the war in our region in the Gulf but you," Sisi said at the Egypt Energy Show 2026 energy conference in Cairo.

Noting ‌the impact ‌of supply shortages and price ‌rises, ⁠Sisi cited analysts' concerns ⁠that "the price of a barrel of oil could reach more than $200, and this is not an exaggeration."

Egypt has condemned Iranian attacks on Gulf Arab ⁠states and pushed diplomatic efforts ‌to avoid a wider regional ‌war.

The secretary-general of the Gulf Cooperation Council ‌bloc, Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, urged the international community ‌to protect vital maritime corridors, condemning Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz and its attacks on regional energy infrastructure.

Addressing the conference virtually, he said Iranian aggression ‌was a threat to the world.

"The brutal Iranian threats against energy ⁠facilities ⁠and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz constitute not only a blatant violation of international law but also a direct threat to global energy," he said.

The GCC, grouping Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain, has faced drone and missile attacks. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has choked off a crucial route that previously handled about a fifth of global oil supplies.

Arab World

Rocket Attack Targets Baghdad Army Base

Iraqi soldiers inspect the site of a destroyed healthcare center in the Habbaniyah military base, which was targeted by in an airstrike killing seven security personnel and wounding 13 others, in Habbaniyah, west of Baghdad on March 26, 2026. (AFP)
Iraqi soldiers inspect the site of a destroyed healthcare center in the Habbaniyah military base, which was targeted by in an airstrike killing seven security personnel and wounding 13 others, in Habbaniyah, west of Baghdad on March 26, 2026. (AFP)
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Rocket Attack Targets Baghdad Army Base

Iraqi soldiers inspect the site of a destroyed healthcare center in the Habbaniyah military base, which was targeted by in an airstrike killing seven security personnel and wounding 13 others, in Habbaniyah, west of Baghdad on March 26, 2026. (AFP)
Iraqi soldiers inspect the site of a destroyed healthcare center in the Habbaniyah military base, which was targeted by in an airstrike killing seven security personnel and wounding 13 others, in Habbaniyah, west of Baghdad on March 26, 2026. (AFP)

Rockets fired overnight targeted an Iraqi military base inside the Baghdad airport complex, which also houses a support center for the US embassy, Iraq's defense ministry said Monday.

The base is near a US diplomatic and logistics hub in the airport complex, which has been repeatedly targeted since the start of the war in the Middle East on February 28.

Iraq has been drawn into the conflict despite seeking to avoid it at all costs. Pro-Iran armed groups have claimed responsibility for attacks on US interests in Iraq and across the region, while strikes have also targeted these groups.

Early on Monday morning "an air base was targeted by 122mm Grad rockets launched from the outskirts of Baghdad", a statement from the ministry said.

"This attack resulted in the destruction of an Antonov-132 aircraft belonging to the Iraqi Air Force. No casualties were reported," it added.

A military official told AFP that "rockets fell inside the diplomatic support center early Monday morning, causing a fire".

Earlier this month, a security official told AFP that the US diplomatic hub had evacuated much of its personnel.

Since the outbreak of war, pro-Iran factions -- which have repeatedly claimed attacks against US interests -- have also been targeted by strikes they blame on the US or Israel.

Monday's incident comes after Washington and Baghdad said last week they would "intensify cooperation" to prevent attacks and ensure Iraqi territory is not used to launch assaults against US facilities.

For the first time in 10 days, two drones targeted the US embassy over the weekend but did not hit their targets.

The influential pro-Iran armed group Kataib Hezbollah said on March 19 it would pause such attacks for five days, twice extending.

Arab World

Lebanese Soldier Killed in Israeli Strike on Checkpoint

This picture taken from the southern Lebanese area of Marjeyoun on March 29, 2026 shows smoke as it rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted the outskirts of the village of Yohmor. (Photo by AFP)
This picture taken from the southern Lebanese area of Marjeyoun on March 29, 2026 shows smoke as it rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted the outskirts of the village of Yohmor. (Photo by AFP)
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Lebanese Soldier Killed in Israeli Strike on Checkpoint

This picture taken from the southern Lebanese area of Marjeyoun on March 29, 2026 shows smoke as it rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted the outskirts of the village of Yohmor. (Photo by AFP)
This picture taken from the southern Lebanese area of Marjeyoun on March 29, 2026 shows smoke as it rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted the outskirts of the village of Yohmor. (Photo by AFP)

An Israeli strike has killed a Lebanese soldier at a checkpoint in the country's southern Tyre region, Lebanon's military said Monday.

"An Israeli attack targeted an army checkpoint" in al-Amriyeh near Tyre, "resulting in the death of one soldier and injuries to others", the military said.

A military source told AFP the attack was the first direct targeting of a Lebanese army position since the start of the war.

Also Monday, the Israeli military said a soldier was killed a day earlier in combat in southern Lebanon, bringing to six the number of troops killed since fighting with Hezbollah started earlier in March.

"Sergeant Liran Ben Zion, aged 19, from Holon... fell during combat in southern Lebanon," the military said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday he had ordered the military to further expand its operations in southern Lebanon, citing continued rocket fire by Hezbollah.

Israel has said it will seize a chunk of southern Lebanon to create a "buffer zone" against Hezbollah, stoking Lebanese fears of Israeli military occupation that could deepen instability and cause further displacement.

Authorities in Lebanon say nearly 1,240 people have been killed there. Over 400 Hezbollah fighters have been killed since it fired on Israel on March 2, sources told Reuters, but it is unclear if the official death toll includes those fighters.