U.S. targets Iran-backed group with sanctions
Shafaq News/ The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has imposed sanctions on six individuals associated with the Iran-aligned group Kata'ib Hizballah (KH) in Iraq.
Trained, funded, and supported by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF), KH is accused of recent attacks against the United States and its partners in Iraq and Syria.
The move comes in the wake of heightened tensions following attacks by Hamas against Israel.
The U.S. Department of State has also designated Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada (KSS) and its leader, Hashim Finyan Rahim al-Saraji. KSS, another Iran-aligned militia group (IAMG) in Iraq, has been implicated in planning and executing attacks against U.S. personnel in Iraq and Syria.
Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, Brian E. Nelson, stated, "Today's action sends a message to Kata'ib Hizballah and all other Iran-backed groups that the United States will use all available measures to hold to account any opportunistic actors who seek to exploit the situation in Gaza for their own ends."
Kata'ib Hizballah (KH) was previously designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) in 2009. It has been responsible for numerous terrorist attacks against U.S. and Iraqi government targets, often on behalf of the Iranian government.
The designated individuals include Imad Naji al-Bahadli, a member of KH's governing Shura Council, who played a role in planning attacks and intimidating Iraqi politicians. Habib Hasan Mughamis Darraji serves as KH's foreign affairs chief, coordinating training and smuggling activities. Ja'afar al-Husayni, another designated individual, is one of KH's leading media spokesmen involved in planning attacks against U.S. military personnel.
The sanctions, enacted under Executive Order 13224, block all property and interests in property of the designated individuals in the U.S. or the possession or control of U.S. persons. Financial institutions engaging in transactions with sanctioned entities may face sanctions or enforcement actions.
