The U.S. Department of State on Wednesday announced the designation of four Iran-backed militias as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs), escalating pressure on Tehran and its network of proxies across the Middle East.
The groups newly designated are Harakat al-Nujaba (HAN), Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada (KSS), Harakat Ansar Allah al-Awfiya (HAAA), and Kata’ib al-Imam Ali (KIA). All four had previously been sanctioned as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs).
The State Department said the designations are part of President Donald Trump’s National Security Presidential Memorandum-2, which mandates maximum pressure on Iran. The measures block property and assets under U.S. jurisdiction, prohibit Americans from conducting business with the groups, and expose foreign entities to secondary sanctions if they engage with them.
Militias Aligned with Tehran
Harakat al-Nujaba (HAN) – Founded in 2013, HAN openly pledged allegiance to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and is a key member of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a coalition of Tehran-backed militias. The group has publicly threatened U.S. bases and troops and maintains ties with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF), late commander Qasem Soleimani, and former Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada (KSS) – Designated as an SDGT in 2023 alongside its leader Hashim Finyan Rahim al-Saraji, KSS has threatened U.S. and Coalition forces in Iraq and Syria. The group has received training, funding, and advanced weaponry from Iran.
Harakat Ansar Allah al-Awfiya (HAAA) – Blacklisted in 2024, HAAA and its commander Haydar Muzhir Ma’lak al-Sa’idi were linked to the deadly drone attack on Tower 22 in Jordan that killed three U.S. soldiers. The militia has vowed to continue targeting American interests in the region.
Kata’ib al-Imam Ali (KIA) – Designated as an SDGT in 2025, KIA has coordinated with other Iran-aligned militias in plotting attacks against U.S. military, diplomatic, and commercial facilities. Its leader, Shibl al-Zaydi, sanctioned in 2018, acted as a financial conduit between the IRGC-QF and armed factions in Iraq.
Part of a Wider Crackdown
The State Department noted that other Iran-backed militias, including Kata’ib Hizballah (KH) and Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq (AAH), had already been designated as FTOs in earlier years. Both have carried out deadly operations against U.S. forces and remain under heavy sanctions.
“Terrorist designations expose and isolate these groups, cutting them off from resources they need to carry out attacks,” the Department said in a statement. “The United States remains committed to countering Iran, the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism, and disrupting its proxies from conducting attacks against U.S. personnel and facilities.”
