The US State Department announced the designation of four Iran-backed Iraqi militias as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO) in a Wednesday statement.
The groups that have been designated are Hakarat al-Nujaba (HAN), Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada (KSS), Hakarat Ansar Allah al-Awfiya (HAAA), and Kataib al-Imam Ali (KIA).
All four groups had previously been designated as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGT) and will keep this designation, along with their new designation as FTOs. They are also part of the Iran-backed Popular Mobilization Forces, which includes groups such as Kataib Hezbollah and Asaib Ahl al-Haq.
Previous designations as SDGTs
HAN and its secretary-general were designated as SDGT in 2019, and openly pledged loyalty to Iran and Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the State Department added.
This led to HAN receiving support from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force’s (IRGC-QF) former commander, Qasem Soleimani. They also recieved support from former Hezbollah secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah. The two leaders were killed in strikes by the US and Israel, respectively.
KSS and its secretary-general were designated as SDGTs in 2023. They have issued recurring threats towards both US personnel in Iraq and members of the US-led Coalition to defeat ISIS.
KSS also held a parade celebrating Iran’s ballistic missile strikes on the US in Qatar’s Al Udeid Air Base in June during the conclusion of the Israel-Iran War.
HAAA, and its secretary-general, were designated as SDGTs in 2024, and were involved in the January 2024 drone attack on Tower 22 in Jordan, which killed three US service personnel, the State Department noted.
KIA was designated as an SDGT in 2025, and has planned attacks on US military, diplomatic, and commercial projects, according to the State Department.