Terrorist Designations of Iran-Aligned Militia Groups

The United States remains committed to countering Iran, the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism, and disrupting Iran-aligned militia groups (IAMGs) from conducting attacks against U.S. personnel and facilities.    

Today, the Department of State announces the designations of IAMGs Harakat al-Nujaba, Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada, Harakat Ansar Allah al-Awfiya, and Kata’ib al-Imam Ali as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs).   

Harakat al-Nujaba (HAN)  

• The Department of State designated HAN and its Secretary General Akram al-Kabi as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGT) in 2019.  Established in 2013, HAN has openly pledged its loyalties to Iran and Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and the group is a leading member of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI), a front group of Iraqi militias that are part of the broader Iran-aligned Axis of Resistance.  HAN officials have publicly threatened to attack U.S. military bases and personnel in the region.
• Iran supports HAN both militarily and logistically, and the group had close ties withIran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force’s (IRGC-QF) former commander Qasem Soleimani and former Hizballah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada (KSS) 

• The Department of State designated KSS and its Secretary General Hashim Finyan Rahim al-Saraji as SDGTs in 2023.  KSS is a member of the IRI and the group’s terrorist activity has threatened both U.S. and Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS personnel in Iraq and Syria.
• Iran has supported KSS with training, funding, and sophisticated weapons.

Harakat Ansar Allah al-Awfiya (HAAA) 

• The Department of State designated HAAA and its Secretary General Haydar Muzhir Ma’lak al-Sa’idi as SDGTs in 2024.  HAAA was involved in the IRI’s January 2024 drone attack on Tower 22 in Jordan that killed three U.S. service members, and the group has publicly threatened to continue attacking U.S. interests in the region.

Kata’ib al-Imam Ali (KIA)  

• The Department of State designated KIA as an SDGT in 2025.  KIA is affiliated with the IRI, and has, in coordination with other IAMGs, planned attacks targeting U.S. military and diplomatic facilities as well as commercial projects.  KIA has also facilitated kinetic operations against U.S. forces in Iraq and its members have trained in Iran and with Hizballah in Lebanon.   
• KIA Secretary General Shibl al-Zaydi, designated in 2018 as an SDGT, served as a financial coordinator between the IRGC-QF and armed groups in Iraq, and assisted in facilitating Iraqi investments on behalf of Soleimani.

IAMGs Previously Designated as FTOs 

Kata’ib Hizballah (KH) 

• The Department of State designated KH as an FTO and an SDGT in 2009.  The Department designated KH Secretary General Ahmad al-Hamidawi as an SDGT in 2020.  Formed in 2006 as an anti-Western Shia group, KH has claimed responsibility for numerous attacks against U.S. and Coalition Forces in Iraq.  KH has also conducted attacks against Israeli, Iraqi, and Defeat-ISIS Coalition targets in Iraq and threatened the lives of Iraqi politicians and civilians.  KH has ideological ties to and receives financial and military support from Iran.

Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq (AAH) 

• The Department of State designated AAH as an FTO and SDGT in 2020, along with its leader Qays al-Khazali as an SDGT.  Formed in 2006, AAH is extensively funded and trained by Iran.  AAH has claimed responsibility for thousands of attacks against U.S. and Coalition forces, including an attack on the Karbala Provincial Headquarters that resulted in the capture and murder of five American soldiers.
• AAH seeks to promote Iran’s political and religious influence in Iraq, maintain Shia control over Iraq, and expel any remaining Western military forces from the country.

Terrorist designations expose and isolate entities and individuals, denying them access to the U.S. financial system and resources they need to carry out attacks.    

All property and property interests of designated individuals or groups that are in the United States or that are in possession or control of a U.S. person are blocked.  U.S. persons are generally prohibited from conducting business with sanctioned persons.    

Persons that engage in certain transactions or activities with those designated today may expose themselves to sanctions risk.  Notably, engaging in certain transactions with them entails risk of secondary sanctions pursuant to counterterrorism authorities.

Today’s actions are taken pursuant to section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, as amended.  FTO designations go into effect upon publication in the Federal Register.

Petitioners requesting removal of those designated from the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List should refer to the Department of State’s Delisting Guidance page.