Iraq Government Demands Explanation from Washington After Deputy Oil Minister Sanctions

Two days after the US Treasury Department sanctioned Deputy Oil Minister Ali Maarij al-Bahadly and four Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada and Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq militia leaders for facilitating Iranian sanctions evasion, Iraq's caretaker Foreign Ministry summoned the US ambassador on May 9 to register a formal protest and demand an explanation. The Iraqi government characterized the sanctions as 'interference in Iraqi sovereignty' while simultaneously distancing itself from al-Bahadly's alleged conduct. PM-designate Ali al-Zaidi, still forming his cabinet, faced intense pressure from Iran-aligned Coordination Framework partners to take a harder public line against Washington, while US officials privately signaled that the sanctions were intended as a message to the incoming government about PMF financial independence from state authority. Analysts at the Middle East Institute noted the sanctions crystallized the central tension Zaidi would face: satisfying the US while relying on Iran-aligned parties for his parliamentary majority.