The U.S. Department of State has designated four Iran-backed militias in Iraq—Harakat al-Nujaba, Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada, Harakat Ansar Allah al-Awfiya, and Kata’ib al-Imam Ali—as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs).
In a statement on Wednesday, September 17, the State Department said Iran’s regime, as the “world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism,” enables these militias to plan, facilitate, or directly carry out attacks in Iraq.
According to the statement, Iran-aligned groups have been involved in attacks against the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and coalition bases and often use aliases and front organizations to conceal their involvement.
The State Department said the terrorist designation is in line with U.S. President Donald Trump’s maximum pressure policy to cut off revenue to Iran’s regime, its allies, and its proxy forces.
The statement added that the U.S. will continue using all available tools to protect its national security interests and to prevent “funding and resources from reaching terrorists.”
In 2019, the State Department designated Harakat al-Nujaba and its Secretary General Akram al-Kaabi as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs).
According to the statement, this group, founded in 2013, has openly pledged allegiance to Iran’s regime and supreme leader Ali Khamenei and is part of the Tehran-led so-called “Axis of Resistance.”
Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada and its Secretary General Hashem Finjan Rahim al-Saraji were added to the SDGT list in 2023.
Tehran has supported this group with training, financing, and advanced weaponry.
Harakat Ansar Allah al-Awfiya and its Secretary General Haidar Mazhar Malik al-Saeedi were designated as SDGTs in 2024.
This group was involved in the Iranian regime’s January 2024 drone attack on the “Tower 22” base in Jordan, which killed three U.S. service members.
Kata’ib al-Imam Ali was designated in 2025, and its Secretary General Shibl al-Zaydi was designated in 2018 as SDGTs.
This group acted as a financial coordinator between the IRGC Quds Force and Iraqi armed groups, helping to facilitate Iraqi investments on behalf of Qassem Soleimani, the slain commander of the Quds Force.
The U.S. had previously designated Kata’ib Hezbollah and Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq as Foreign Terrorist Organizations.
Designation of individuals and groups as terrorists places them under pressure and isolation, cutting off their access to the U.S. financial system and resources needed to carry out attacks.
Additionally, all assets and financial interests of sanctioned individuals or groups that are in the U.S. or under the control of U.S. persons are frozen. U.S. citizens are generally prohibited from engaging in any transactions with these individuals or groups.
