The United States has designated an Iran-aligned armed group as a terrorist organization; this group was responsible for targeting "Tower 22" near the Syrian-Jordanian border last December, resulting in the deaths of three American soldiers. The U.S. State Department, in a statement, announced that it has listed "Ansar Allah al-Awfiya" on its "terrorism lists," describing it as a group allied with Iran based in Iraq and part of "Islamic Resistance in Iraq." The "Islamic Resistance" is a coalition of military factions that the U.S. refers to as Iranian proxies operating in Iraq and Syria, accountable for most attacks on U.S. bases in Syria and Iraq since mid-October 2023.
Additionally, the State Department stated that "Ansar Allah al-Awfiya" and its Secretary-General Haidar Mazhar Malik Alsayadi were designated as "specially designated global terrorists" under Executive Order "13224," as amended. According to the State Department, the movement has publicly threatened to continue attacking U.S. interests in the region and has intimidated the Iraqi people as well. The statement clarified that Haidar Mazhar Malik Alsayadi, also known as "Haidar al-Gharawi," is the leader and Secretary-General of the Iran-aligned group.
The United States asserted that "terrorist designations" expose and isolate entities and individuals, depriving them of access to the U.S. financial system and the resources needed to execute attacks. Consequently, all properties and interests owned by the designated individuals in the U.S. or owned or controlled by a U.S. person are prohibited. Generally, U.S. persons are barred from engaging in transactions with sanctioned individuals; furthermore, the designation can assist in law enforcement actions taken by other U.S. agencies and governments.
On January 28, the U.S. President, Joe Biden, confirmed that three American military personnel were killed and others wounded in a drone attack on U.S. forces stationed in northeastern Jordan near the Syrian border, blaming Iranian-backed groups for the attack. He added, "While we are still gathering the facts about this attack, we know that extremist armed groups supported by Iran operating in Syria and Iraq carried it out."
