What's driving Iraq’s anti-corruption crackdown?

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al Zaidi has conducted a bold anti-corruption campaign since taking office in May.

One of his first moves was to arrest the deputy oil minister for alleged embezzlement, and to seize millions of dollars in cash as part of the investigation.

Iraq’s political institutions have been plagued by allegations of bribery and kickbacks, with oil sector contracts often the targets of corruption investigations. The country has reportedly lost billions of dollars to embezzlement since the American invasion of 2003.

The new government has responded to increasing US pressure to tackle corruption. The other demand is to disarm militant groups. Mr Al Zaidi has prioritised both, but will also have to balance his relationship with Iran, Iraq’s other key ally.

In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher discusses the significance of Mr Al Zaidi's actions and the challenges he faces. We hear from Renad Mansour, director of the Iraq Initiative at Chatham House, and Sinan Mahmoud, The National’s Iraq correspondent.