Iraq removes Hezbollah, Houthis from Terror Asset Freeze List after official gazette publication
Shafaq News – Baghdad
Iraq’s Committee for Freezing Terrorist Funds revised an earlier designation after determining that two entries had been included “by mistake.”
The committee said the review was conducted under the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Law (No. 39 of 2015), the Terrorists’ Assets Freeze Regulation (No. 6 of 2023), and the Cabinet Secretariat’s instructions on terrorist listings. It examined Resolution No. 16 of 2025 and found that serial numbers 18 and 19—corresponding to Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis (Ansarallah) in Yemen—“were not subject to the asset-freeze provisions.”
According to the committee, both entries were drawn from internal descriptive records used by the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Office and were not intended to appear in the official list.
“The correction takes immediate effect and will continue to be circulated through official channels, including the gazette and the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Office’s website.”
The new decision, issued as Resolution No. 46 of 2025, was published in the Iraqi Official Gazette Al-Waqa’a No. 4852 on December 8, 2025.
The two groups had been included on Iraq’s list following United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions targeting terrorism and the financing of extremist organizations. The listing appeared in issue 4848 of the Iraqi Official Gazette on Nov. 17, 2025.
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