Politics
U.S. revokes visa and places former Iraqi Finance Minister Taif Sami Mohammed on terror watchlist
The decision marks a reversal for Mohammed, who was honored by the Biden administration in 2022 with the International Women of Courage Award.
The short version
- The U.S. State Department has revoked the visa of former Iraqi Finance Minister Taif Sami Mohammed and placed her on the U.S. terrorist watchlist.
- Republican lawmakers previously accused Mohammed of facilitating terrorist financing, though the State Department did not immediately specify the exact intelligence behind the designation.
- Mohammed is also currently on an Iraqi judicial wanted list as part of an investigation into government contract corruption.
Key facts
- The U.S. State Department revoked Taif Sami Mohammed's visa and placed her on the federal terrorist watchlist.[Fox News]
- In 2022, the Biden administration's State Department, led by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, honored Mohammed with the International Women of Courage Award for her work combating corruption.[Fox News]
- Republican Representatives Joe Wilson and Greg Steube previously urged the Trump administration to sanction Mohammed, labeling her a 'key enabler of terrorist funding in Iraq.'[Fox News]
- Mohammed is also wanted by an Iraqi court in relation to a broad corruption probe regarding government contracts, though she has not been detained and is believed to currently reside outside of Iraq.[Fox News]
What remains uncertain
- The State Department did not specify whether Mohammed's watchlist status is linked to congressional allegations of terror financing, the Iraqi corruption probe, or other intelligence findings.[Fox News]