ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The United States on Thursday added Iraq-based Kata’ib al-Imam Ali to its list of designated organizations. A congressman who has pushed for the move called on Washington to designate more pro-Iran groups.
“I am grateful to @USTreasury for designating Kataib Imam Ali as Specially Designated Global Terrorists as I called for in my letter a few weeks ago,” Congressman Joe Wilson said on X, encouraging his government to “go further and designate all Iranian militias in Iraq especially the Badr Corps as I called for in my letter.”
The Department of Treasury said in a statement that it has also added Nasr al-Shammary, a senior official of the pro-Iran Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba, to its Specially Designated Nationals.
This comes amid an escalation in regional tensions, especially between Iran and Israel. On Wednesday, the US ordered a reduction of non-essential personnel at its embassy in Baghdad, consulate in Erbil, and the voluntary relocation of family members of personnel stationed at military bases in several Gulf Arab states.
Trump said on Thursday that a potential Israeli attack on Iran is “something that could very well happen” but he urged Israel to avoid such an escalatory move.
Congressmen Joe Wilson and Gregory Steube have long called on Washington to designate several pro-Iran figures and entities.
Iraqi armed groups in February warned against such a move, with sources telling Rudaw on the condition of anonymity that such a decision would cause “chaos.”
