English: The Republican Palace (Arabic: al-Qaṣr al-Ǧumhūriy) in Baghdad, Iraq is the largest of the palaces commissioned by Saddam Hussein and was his preferred place to meet visiting heads of state. The United States spared the palace during its shock and awe raid during the 2003 invasion of Iraq, in the belief that it might hold valuable documents. The Green Zone developed around it. The palace itself served as the headquarters of the American occupation of Iraq and continues to serve as a primary base of operations for the American diplomatic mission in Iraq pending the construction of the new US Embassy in Baghdad.