Shafaq News- Washington/ Baghdad
The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on IraqiDeputy Minister of Oil Ali Maarij Al-Bahadly and several leaders ofIran-aligned armed factions, accusing them of exploiting Iraq’s oil sector tobenefit Iran and its allied groups in Iraq.
In a statement, the US Treasury Department’s Office ofForeign Assets Control (OFAC) said the measures targeted individuals andbusinesses undermined the country’s security, adding that Al-Bahadly “abuseshis position to facilitate the diversion of oil to be sold for the benefit ofthe Iranian regime and its proxy militias in Iraq.”
The sanctions also targeted senior members of theIran-aligned armed groups Kataib Sayyid Al-Shuhada and Asaib Ahl Al-Haq,which Washington has designated as terrorist organizations.
According to OFAC, Al-Bahadly facilitated oil exportoperations linked to networks associated with previously sanctioned oilsmuggler Salim Ahmed Said.
The Treasury Department alleged that shipments from Iraq’sQayyarah oil field were transported to Khor al-Zubair, where Iranian oil wasblended with Iraqi crude before export, while documentation was altered toconceal the origin of the shipments.
The sanctions included Mustafa Hashem Lazem Al-Bahadli, alsoknown as “Sayyid Aoun,” whom OFAC accused of managing oil smuggling andfinancing networks linked to Asaib Ahl Al-Haq. Ahmed Khudair Al-Maksousi, the former deputysecretary-general of Kataib Sayyid Al-Shuhada, and Mohammed Issa KazemAl-Shuwaili, known as “Abu Maryam,” were also designated over alleged coordinationwith Lebanon’s Hezbollah involving the procurement and transfer of weapons intoIraq.
Four Iraq-based companies operating in the oil and logisticssectors were also sanctioned, including Gulf Oil Services Limited and IraqInternational Energy for Import and Sale of Petroleum Products Limited.
The Department explained that the sanctions are part of Washington’s“maximum pressure” campaign targeting Iranian oil revenues, sanctions evasionnetworks, and financial channels linked to Tehran. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated that “Treasurywill not stand idly by as Iran’s military exploits Iraqi oil to fund terrorismagainst the United States and our partners.”
Under the measures, all assets belonging to the sanctionedindividuals and entities within US jurisdiction will be frozen, while USpersons are prohibited from conducting transactions with them. The sanctionsalso allow for secondary restrictions on foreign institutions engaging withdesignated parties.