US designates Iran-backed militias as foreign terrorist organisations

Secretary of State Marco Rubio says groups continue to plan attacks across Iraq

Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Israel on Tuesday. AP

Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday announced that the US was designating four Iran-backed militia groups that operate in Iraq as foreign terrorist organisations.

The State Department had previously considered all four groups “specially designated global terrorists”. The new designation aims to maximise the effect of sanctions.

“As the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism, Iran continues to provide support that enables these militias to plan, facilitate or directly carry out attacks across Iraq,” Mr Rubio said.

He added that the move contributed to Washington's “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran.

The four groups are: Harakat Al Nujaba, Kata’ib Sayyid Al Shuhada, Harakat Ansar Allah Al Awfiya and Kata’ib Al Imam Ali.

These groups are affiliated with the Popular Mobilisation Forces but operate outside it.

Acting within the “Axis of Resistance” – an Iran-backed umbrella group for militias in the region – they previously sent fighters to Syria and launched attacks against US troops in Iraq and Syria.

Terrorist designations are designed to isolate groups and their members by highlighting their activities and denying them access to the US financial system and other resources.

The US named Harakat Al Nujaba as “specially designated global terrorists” in 2019. According to the State Department, the group has pledged loyalty to Iran and Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and the group is a leading member of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a front group of Iraqi militias that are part of the Axis of Resistance.

Alex Vatanka, an Iran expert and senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, said the new designations are unlikely to significantly alter the political landscape in the short term.

“I don't see the these designations as game changers,” Mr Vatanka told The National. “These groups are so nimble they can name themselves something else tomorrow. Change the camouflage, join political parties. This is a game that's been going on for over 20 years … and if anybody thinks sanctions alone is going to change the game, it's not.”

Iraqis head to the polls in November for their country’s sixth parliamentary elections since the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein's regime.

Mr Vatanka said Washington has to tread a cautious line with respect to its designations against militias, as it does not want to create the conditions for Iran and its allies to use actions against the groups to gain political support.

“The United States has to play it very carefully,” he said.

Until recently, Iranian proxies operating in Syria and Iraq used to regularly hit US bases in the region, but attacks have dropped off following Israeli strikes against Iranian military installations and commanders.