Iraqi Parliamentary Finance Committee Denounces U.S. Sanctions on Representative
Shafaq News/ The Iraqi Parliamentary Finance Committee denounced the U.S.'s decision to include Representative Hussein Moanes on its list of economic sanctions, describing the step as an "arbitrary transgression with no rational basis."
The committee demanded that the U.S. Treasury provide "clear evidence" for sanctioning Representative Moanes, considering this move "an unjust step requiring clarifications."
The Parliamentary Finance Committee expressed full support for Moanes, condemning any foreign intervention that "contradicted Iraq's sovereignty and harmed its national figures."
On Monday, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated Iraqi airline Fly Baghdad and its CEO, Basheer Abdulkadhim Alwan al-Shabbani, for "providing assistance to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps–Qods Force (IRGC-QF) and its proxy groups in Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon."
OFAC also designated three leaders and "supporters of one of the IRGC-QF's main Iran-aligned militias in Iraq, Kata'ib Hizballah (K.H.), as well as a business that moves and launders funds for K.H."
"Iran and its proxies have sought to abuse regional economies and use seemingly legitimate businesses as cover for funding and facilitating their attacks," said Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian E. Nelson.
The sanctioned K.H.'s leaders are Hossein Moanes, Riyad Ali Hussein al-Azzawi, and Awqad al-Hamidawi.
The U.S. Treasury explained that Moanes is a senior member of K.H. and currently the head of K.H.'s political party, Harakat Hoquq.
"Hossein Moanes was previously K.H.'s chief of government relations, and in that capacity was involved with many aspects of K.H.'s activities, including K.H.'s plans for gathering intelligence on, kidnapping, or even assassinating Iraqis identified as working with the United States as well as planning terrorist attacks on civilian targets with the help of the IRGC-QF."
Al-Azzawi, on the other hand, is "an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) specialist and an engineer for the Popular Mobilization Committee's (PMC) Directorate of Technical Equipment (DTE), which is headed by U.S.-designated terrorist and former K.H. official Salah Mahdi Hantush al-Maksusi (al-Maksusi). OFAC designated al-Maksusi in 2012 for his involvement in K.H.'s attacks on U.S. and coalition forces in Iraq. Al-Azzawi and the PMC DTE maintain links with K.H. and are involved in training Iraqi fighters on a wide range of procured or manufactured weapons. Al-Azzawi's fingerprints were found on an Iranian missile that was launched in the vicinity of U.S. forces in Iraq in 2021."
The third K.H. leader, al-Hamidawi, is "the youngest brother of U.S.-designated KH Secretary General Ahmad al-Hamidawi, directs K.H.'s businesses and aspects of K.H.'s financial portfolio. He raises funds for K.H. through commercial businesses, manages K.H.'s money laundering operations, and is involved in K.H.'s cross-border smuggling activities. Awqad al-Hamidawi manages Baghdad-based Al-Massal Land Travel and Tourism Company (Al-Massal), which K.H. uses to generate revenue and launder money. K.H. has used Al-Massal to evade taxes on large quantities of illegal imports and to illegally confiscate land and other physical property from Iraqis for K.H.'s use."
