U.S. Treasury imposes sanctions on an Iraqi lawmaker
Shafaq News/ The U.S. Department of the Treasury on Monday said it has officially sanctioned Hossein Moanes al-Ibudi, an Iraqi lawmaker and senior member of the Iran-aligned Kata'ib Hezbollah group, for his alleged role in supporting the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its proxy network.
Al-Ibudi, known as Hossein Moanes, is the leader of Huqouq movement, the political wing of Kata'ib Hezbollah and a member of the Iraqi parliament. Previously, he served as the chief of government relations in the movemet.
A press release by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said that the Iraqi lawmaker said that Moanes was involved in "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 Quds Force."
According to the press release, these sanctions are part of a broader U.S. effort to target individuals and entities supporting the IRGC-QF and its proxies.
Kata'ib Hezbollah has faced accusations of escalating drone and missile attacks against U.S. personnel in Iraq and Syria, with ties to recent actions following Hamas's attack on Israel.
Brian E. Nelson, Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, emphasized, "Iran and its proxies have sought to abuse regional economies and use seemingly legitimate businesses as cover for funding and facilitating their attacks. The United States will continue to disrupt Iran's illicit activities aimed at undermining the stability of the region."
Sanctions against Al-Ibudi are being imposed under Executive Order 13224, targeting terrorists and their supporters. Kata'ib Hezbollah was previously designated as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) and a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) by the U.S. government.
Hossein Moanes al-Ibudi is also accused of materially assisting, sponsoring, or providing financial, material, or technological support to Kata'ib Hezbollah.
