US sanctions 11 Iraqi targets over Iran links
Shafaq News- Washington
The US Treasury Department imposed Iran-related sanctions on nine Iraqi nationals and two Iraq-based companies on Thursday, accusing them of ties to Tehran and allied armed groups.
The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) added the nine Iraqis to its Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN) List as part of a broader action that also covered Lebanon, Syria, and the United Arab Emirates.
Those designated are Khaldoon Naser Maryoosh Al-Abada, Abdullah Nadhim Luaibi Al-Ameri, Hussein Ahmed Hussein Al-Dhuhaibawi, Karrar Mohammed Qasim Al-Hraishawi, Ali Hasan Farhan Al-Lami, Abdulhasan Ali Akbar Namdar Al-Mandalawi, Majid Ali Akbar Namdar Al-Mandalawi, Mohamed Ameen Fadhil Ali Al-Shaikhli, and Abbas Jawad Kadhim Al-Tamimi.
OFAC linked Al-Dhuhaibawi, Al-Hraishawi, Al-Lami, and Al-Shaikhli to Kataib Hezbollah, while connecting the remaining five to individuals or companies previously sanctioned under US counterterrorism or Iran-related authorities.
The action also covers Baghdad-based Ain Al Iraq for Protection Systems Technology and Audio, Visual, and Communications Solutions Company Ltd and Al Brouj for General Contracting Company.
The designations were issued under Operation Economic Outcast, a US campaign launched on Aug. 24 against Iranian revenue streams, oil transactions, sanctions-evasion networks, and financial channels Washington alleges support weapons procurement and Tehran-aligned groups. The restrictions freeze assets under US jurisdiction and generally prohibit dealings with those listed.
Washington has increasingly focused on alleged Iranian networks operating through Iraq. In May, the Treasury sanctioned a deputy oil minister and several faction leaders over accusations that Iraqi oil networks were being used to benefit Tehran and its allies. Another action in October 2025 covered Iraqi individuals and companies accused of channeling money and intelligence to Iran-backed factions, particularly Kataib Hezbollah. Among them were Al-Muhandis General Company and Baladna Agricultural Investments, which Washington alleged diverted Iraqi government contracts and revenues to the group, along with banking figures accused of laundering dollars for affiliated networks.
OFAC further tightened its licensing policy under Operation Economic Outcast on Thursday, indicating that applications for specific licenses would generally be denied except where required by law or in certain cases involving threats to life, physical safety, or the environment.
The agency also reached a $1.43 million settlement with an individual over alleged violations involving consulting services for an Iranian software company, Iranian-origin dividends received through US bank accounts, and property acquired in Iran.
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