WASHINGTON (AP) โ The United States on Monday imposed sanctions on Iraqi airline Fly Baghdad and its chief executive, alleging assistance to Iran's military wing, and imposed a fifth round of sanctions on the Hamas militant group for cryptocurrency abuse since the October 7 attack on Israel.
The sanctions come as Israel's bombing campaign in the Gaza Strip continues. killing 25,000 Palestinians until now, according to the Gaza Strip's Health Ministry, and Iranian-backed militias in Iraq launch regular attacks on bases housing US forces in Iraq and Syria.
In the new sanctions, the Treasury Department said Fly Baghdad and CEO Basheer Abdulkadhim Alwan al-Shabbani have provided assistance to Iran's military wing and its proxy groups in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon.
"Iran and its proxies have sought to abuse regional economies and use seemingly legitimate businesses as cover to finance and facilitate their attacks," Treasury Undersecretary Brian E. Nelson said in a statement. "The United States will continue to disrupt Iran's illicit activities aimed at undermining stability in the region."
The sanctions block access to American property and bank accounts and prevent targeted individuals and companies from doing business with Americans.
Fly Baghdad denied the US allegations and said it would take legal action to demand compensation for losses resulting from the sanctions โas it is clear that the decision was based on misleading and false information and cannot be enforced under the law.โ
The Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control also named three leaders and supporters of an Iran-aligned militia in Iraq, Kataib Hezbollah, as well as a company it says moves and launders funds for the organization.
Since the outbreak of the war between Israel and Hamas, an Iranian-backed militia group in Iraq calling itself the Islamic Resistance in Iraq has launched attacks on bases housing US forces in Iraq and Syria. The group has said the attacks are retaliation for Washington's backing of Israel in the war in Gaza and that its goal is to expel US troops from Iraq.
Most of the strikes failed or were shot down and caused no casualties, but on Saturday a salvo of missiles launched at al-Asad Air Base in western Iraq injured several U.S. personnel and a stationed Iraqi service member. over there.
Some of the Iranian-backed Iraqi militias, including Kataib Hezbollah, officially operate under the control of the Iraqi army as part of a coalition known as the Popular Mobilization Forces, which was a key player in the fight against the Islamic State extremist group as it swept through Iraq. and Syria, seizing wide swaths of territory. In practice, however, the groups largely operate outside of state control.
Additionally, on Monday, the United States sanctioned a network of Hamas-affiliated financial exchanges in Gaza, including financial facilitators who transferred funds via cryptocurrency from Iran to Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza.
The United Kingdom and Australia coordinated these sanctions with the United States.
Hamas has said it plans a potentially long fight and is "ready to do whatever is necessary for the dignity and freedom of our people."
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Associated Press writer Abby Sewell reported from Beirut, Lebanon.
