US places former Iraqi Finance Minister Taif Sami on terrorism watch list

WASHINGTON, United States — WASHINGTON — The US State Department has revoked the visa of former Iraqi Finance Minister Taif Sami and placed her on a terrorism watch list, barring her from entering the country. State Department Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Diplomacy Dylan Johnson said on Friday that individuals deemed threats during the Biden administration had been rewarded, but under President Trump their visas were being revoked to keep them out of the United States. According to Fox News, Sami is currently outside Iraq and has been added to the US terrorism screening list, making her ineligible to enter the country. Republican Representatives Joe Wilson and Greg Steube had urged the Trump administration to sanction Sami, accusing her of facilitating terrorism financing in Iraq and describing her as "the principal facilitator of terrorism financing in Iraq." The two lawmakers pressed the executive branch to act. Separately, Iraq's state news agency reported, citing sources, that an Iraqi court has placed Sami on a judicial follow-up list and opened proceedings against her. The court has expanded a corruption probe that covers former senior government officials.