Washington – OnePress
US Treasury Secretary Scott Besant accused the Iranian regime of looting resources belonging to the Iraqi people, after the US Treasury announced new sanctions on officials and networks linked to the Iraqi oil sector and pro-Tehran groups.
The U.S. Treasury said the sanctions targeted Iraqi Deputy Oil Minister Ali Maaraj al-Bahadli, along with leaders of pro-Iranian Iraqi groups, on charges related to facilitating oil smuggling and financing activities linked to Tehran and allied armed factions.
Besant added in an official statement that "the Iranian regime is acting like an outlaw gang by looting resources that belong to the right of the Iraqi people," stressing that Washington "will not stand idly by while Iran exploits Iraqi oil to finance terrorism against the United States and its partners."
According to the Treasury Department, the Iraqi official is accused of using his position to facilitate the transfer of Iraqi oil products to smuggling networks linked to Iran, by mixing Iranian oil with Iraqi oil and falsifying official documents to hide its true source and sell it on international markets as Iraqi oil.
The sanctions also included three leaders of Iran-aligned armed factions, including members of the Asaib Ahl al-Haq and the Sayyid al-Shuhada Brigades, which Washington designates as terrorist groups.
The U.S. move comes as part of an escalating economic pressure campaign aimed at curtailing Iran’s sources of funding and its regional networks, amid growing tension in relations between Washington and Tehran over security and oil issues in the region.