US blacklists 4 Iraqi groups over alleged links to Iran
The United States has designated four popular militia groups in Iraq as terrorist organizations over their alleged links to Iran.
In a statement on its website on Wednesday, the US State Department said it had designated Harakat al-Nujaba, Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada, Harakat Ansar Allah al-Awfiya, and Kata’ib al-Imam Ali as Foreign Terrorist Organizations.
The statement claimed that the groups have been aligned with Iran, adding that the action taken against them is in line with a presidential memorandum signed in February by US President Donald Trump ordering a campaign of maximum pressure on Iran.
It said that Iran’s support for these groups has enabled them to carry out attacks against US forces in Iraq and in the region.
The four groups had already been designated by the US as Specially Designated Global Terrorists. The Wednesday designation imposes harsher sanctions and criminal penalties on any party providing them with material support.
Iran has openly declared that it has a policy to support groups and entities that fight occupation and bullying in the West Asia region.
However, the country has indicated that those groups are entirely independent in their decision-making and do not receive direct orders from Tehran.
Iranian authorities have repeatedly dismissed the significance of US sanctions, saying they are desperate attempts by Washington to force Iran to change its political and military strategies.
The designations announced against the four Iraqi groups came a day after the US Treasury Department announced sanctions on four Iranian nationals and a dozen foreign companies for their roles in alleged funds transfers benefiting the Iranian armed forces and its defense ministry.
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