Steube and Wilson Recommend Trump Administration Actions Against Iranian-Backed Militias in Iraq
Iranian Militias Pose Grave Threats to U.S. Service Members and Undermine National Security
WASHINGTON – U.S. Representative Greg Steube (R-Fla.) joined Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) in calling on Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Adviser Michael Waltz to take action against Iranian-backed militias entrenched within Iraq’s security forces. These militias, armed and trained by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), have attacked U.S. forces at least 170 times over the past two years, injuring multiple service members. Despite U.S. taxpayers providing over $11.4 billion in assistance to Iraq, these militias remain a sanctioned part of Iraq’s state and security forces.
A report from the Department of Defense Inspector General highlights Iran-aligned militias’ influence within Iraq’s Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Defense, with officers sympathetic to Iran scattered throughout security services. Qasim al-Araji, Iraq’s National Security Adviser and a senior leader of the Badr Corps—an IRGC-backed militia—has American blood on his hands and was implicated in the 2019 terrorist attack on the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.
“It is completely unacceptable that taxpayer dollars have long supported a system where Iranian-backed militias are armed, trained, and legally part of Iraq’s government. Replacing ISIS with Iran-backed terrorist militias does not make sense and only fuels the onslaught of terror that the Iranian regime seeks to export. I’m glad to join Rep. Wilson in sending recommendations to the Trump Administration on how to combat Iranian terrorism in the Middle East. Under President Trump’s leadership, the world will be safer and America will be stronger, ” said Rep. Steube.
“It’s time for a new Iraq policy. It doesn’t make sense to continue to send billions of dollars to Iraq which is at the same time funding Iran backed militias which attack Americans. It’s time to put America First. In President Trump’s first term the maximum pressure campaign bankrupted Iran and I believe that through his leadership, we will counter Iran’s malign role in Iraq,” said Rep. Wilson.
The Steube-Wilson letter outlines three key recommendations to address these threats:
- Designation of Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs): Designating groups such as the Badr Corps, Abu Fadl al-Abbas Brigades, and others as FTOs.
- Sanctions Implementation: Imposing sanctions under Executive Order 13224 on militias including Sarayya al-Jihad and Kata’ib al-Imam Ali.
- Suspension of Security Assistance to Iraq: Ending all U.S. security assistance until Iranian-backed militias are removed from Iraq’s state forces.
Read the full letter here.
