Iraq Crackdowns: Short Assessment
ICOD: 11:06, 06/28/2026

BLUF:
According to Iraqi and regional media outlets, last night’s wave of arrests and crackdowns came after the arrest and confession of Oil Ministry undersecretary Adnan al-Jumaili. Per reports, 47 individuals, including numerous Iraqi politicians, some loyal to former Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani, were arrested in the sweeping crackdown on corruption.

Per reports from local news outlets, so far, $85 million in money and assets have been seized since the start of the crackdown, with more expected, as an Iraqi government spokesperson has said that necessary actions have been taken to curb corruption in the country. According to regional analysts and subject matter experts, such anti-corruption efforts are common when new leadership takes hold in Iraq.

Analyst Comment:
However, the recent wave of arrests, specifically the scale of said arrests, is not as common, with some outlets characterizing the move as a “systemic purge.”
The arrests come against the backdrop of an increase in both U.S.-Iranian competing interests in Iraq, increasing government pressure on Iranian-backed paramilitary forces subordinate to the Iraqi Armed Forces, and the ongoing tension in the region between the U.S. and Iran.

Key Judgement:
At the time of writing, there is a reasonable possibility that the aforementioned dynamics are directly related to the arrests, as Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has long signaled his intention to implement institutional reforms whilst simultaneously being pressured by the U.S. to deal with Iranian-backed paramilitary groups in the country.

This story will be updated as it develops.

This video is reportedly showing hundreds of Ukrainian FPV drones flying towards Russian positions.

If true, it is possible some of these are being swarmed together. Additionally Undetectable AI said this video has a 91% likelihood of being real 🤙

#hm #hmintelligence

A senior Trump administration official told news outlets today that the U.S.-Iran talks, set for this weekend in Switzerland, are still on. The statement contradicts reports from the Wall Street Journal that the talks have been postponed due to the new spate of reciprocal U.S.-Iran strikes in the Gulf region.

According to Axios, citing a senior U.S. official, the U.S. and Iran have agreed to halt reciprocal strikes in the Gulf region today. The official told Axios that “We decided to stop all the kinetic activity.” Additionally, according to the report, during last week’s talks in Switzerland, the U.S. and Iran agreed to implement a military-to-military communications hotline between the U.S. military and the IRGC, but as of yesterday, the hotline has yet to be established. According to recent reports, this weekend’s Switzerland talks are still on, despite reporting from the Wall Street Journal stating otherwise.

U.S. Marines prepare to conduct an aerial damage assessment of the Caracas coast in Venezuela. The Marines are from Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 365 (Reinforced), Littoral Combat Force-24 on the San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock USS Fort Lauderdale (LPD 28).

According to Iranian state news outlets, technical talks set for today were not attended by the Iranian team, citing the recent U.S. retaliatory strikes as the reason for not attending. However, U.S. officials have told news outlets that technical talks on all facets of the U.S.-Iran MOU continue. This, as Axios reports that both sides have agreed to cease reciprocal strikes, that resumed following Iran’s rejection of a joint International Maritime Organization-Omani transit framework for the Strait of Hormuz.

President Donald J. Trump has posted to Truth Social stating that representatives from the U.S. and Iran will meet tomorrow in Doha, Qatar after Iran requested a meeting.

Commercial shipping continues to transit the Strait of Hormuz, with the majority of vessels visible via MarineTraffic.com using the Iranian traffic separation scheme.

Use of the U.S.-supported route through Omani waters continues, but remains intermittent rather than the preferred route for most traffic.

As always, some transits are not visible due to vessels operating with their AIS transponders switched off, meaning actual traffic is likely higher than shown.

Qatar's Ministry of Transport has directed the owners and operators of maritime vessels not subject to international maritime regulations to temporarily suspend all sailing and maritime activities until further notice.

The directive, issued in coordination with relevant security authorities, applies to recreational and fishing vessels and comes amid heightened security concerns in the region.

In a 5-4 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day may be counted even if they arrive after Election Day, provided state law permits it.

Writing for the majority in Watson, Mississippi Secretary of State v. Republican National Committee (RNC), Justice Amy Coney Barrett concluded that federal law does not require mail-in ballots to be received by Election Day.

Barrett was joined by Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Elena Kagan, Ketanji Brown Jackson, and Sonia Sotomayor.

According to Venezuelan news outlets, Venezuelan NGO RedesAyuda has installed free WiFi hotspots in 8 locations in the capital Caracas and the port city of La Guaira to enable affected citizens to be able to communicate amidst the widespread devastation following the twin earthquakes.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei has compounded on previous Iranian statements that no talks are currently scheduled for the coming days. Per a statement made by Baqaei to Iranian state-backed news outlet IRNA, “in the coming days, there will be no negotiation meetings at any level with the American side.”

This comes against the backdrop of heightened tensions within the ceasefire framework over Iran’s unwillingness to allow a non-Iranian transit framework in the Strait of Hormuz and the current situation in Southern Lebanon.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) Commander Admiral Brad Cooper is currently in the Middle East and has visited both Israel and Lebanon so far. Per a CENTCOM release, Admiral Cooper met with President Joseph Aoun and Lebanese Armed Forces Commanding General Rodolphe Haykal in recent days and also met military and civilian decision-makers in Israel.

The topics of conversation centered on the implementation of the recently signed Israel-Lebanon framework agreement. It’s likely that CENTCOM’s role in the deconfliction portion of the framework, including their role in facilitating Israel’s eventual withdrawal from Southern Lebanon, was discussed as well.

While Iranian officials continue to deny that technical level talks with the U.S. are set to take place in the coming days, officials continue to tell U.S. media that talks are in fact happening, as a diplomat with knowledge on the matter has confirmed earlier reports, telling NewsNation that Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and Envoy Jared Kushner are set to meet their Qatari counterparts in Doha, Qatar tomorrow to discuss the negotiations framework. Additionally, per the report, despite Iranian claims to the contrary, technical talks are set to take place between the U.S. and Iran this upcoming Wednesday, as Iran continues to signal, likely for PR reasons, that no talks are scheduled.

U.S. President Donald J. Trump confirmed the meeting between U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, Envoy Jared Kushner, and Qatar officials tomorrow in Doha, Qatar, saying that Iranian denuclearization is set to be the topic at hand.

Earlier today, an explosion occurred on the Rue Révérend-Père-Louis-Folla in Monaco after a suspect placed a backpack at the base of a building and it subsequently detonated. Police and fire crews have responded, and according to local news outlets, two of the victims were Ukrainian and Russian. Per reports, 3 individuals were injured, with two of them being seriously injured. The suspect reportedly remains at large.
More to come.

Following the detonation of a bomb in Monaco, Minister of State of the Principality of Monaco Christophe Mirmand has confirmed that the explosion was likely an attack and that the device was likely equipped with bolts and other materials for maximum damage. Additionally, according to AFP, all of the victims are of Ukrainian origin.

Early reports indicate that Ukrainian businessman Vadim Ermolaev, who was sanctioned earlier in the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War for his ties to Russia through his business in occupied-Crimea, may have been the target of the bombing in Monaco earlier.

Iranian foreign ministry officials continue to deny that technical talks with the U.S. in Doha, Qatar set for tomorrow are set in stone, but have instead signaled that if they do take place, the unfreezing of funds and other key points of contention will be the topic of discussion.

According to the New York Times, the Trump administration is seeking to develop a centralized master list of U.S. foreign intelligence targets including suspected foreign spies and potential intelligence recruits.

The proposal stems from National Security Presidential Memorandum 7 (NSPM-7), which directs intelligence agencies to better identify, integrate, and share information on national security threat actors.

The proposal has reportedly faced resistance from the FBI and CIA. Critics warn that concentrating the identities of covert targets and potential assets in a single repository could create an unprecedented counterintelligence risk if compromised or improperly accessed.

The effort reportedly began under former Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/29/us/trump-intelligence-agencies-spies-master-list.html

An Electra Airways flight has been diverted to Bulgaria following what was reportedly an accidental hijack alert triggered by the pilot. Per reports, the pilot of the plane, which was traveling from Warsaw, Poland to Tel Aviv, Israel, accidentally triggered the alert, prompting Israel to scramble fighter jets and divert the aircraft.