Footage of Iraqis enjoying the presidential palace’s swimming pool has been circulating on social media.

Foreign media reports that protesters have seized power in a number of government buildings.

 The Iraqi government responded by imposing a curfew from last night.

The unrest has escalated after Iraq’s Shia Muslim cleric Muqtada al-Sadr announced his retirement from politics.

According to foreign media reports, the American embassy officials in Baghdad have also been evacuated by helicopter with the current situation.