![Advisor of Iraqi National Security Falih Faisal Fahad Alfayyadh attends the funeral ceremony of Qasem Soleimani, commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards' Quds Forces in Baghdad, Iraq on 4 January 2020 [Murtadha Sudani / Anadolu Agency]](https://i0.wp.com/www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/20200104_2_40159147_50911879.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1)
The Iranian Foreign Ministry has condemned the US’ decision to impose sanctions on Falih Al-Fayyadh, head of the Popular Mobilisation Forces in Iraq, saying the move is “doomed to fail”.
Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said: “The imposition of sanctions against a government institution official in Iraq is doomed to fail, and aims to achieve the American’s sinister intentions.”
On Friday, the US Treasury imposed sanctions on Al-Fayyadh, accusing him of committing serious human rights abuses.
“Falih Al-Fayyadh stands accused of directing and supervising the killing of peaceful Iraqi demonstrators” in 2019 and must be held accountable, the Treasury said in a statement.
On Saturday, the Iraqi Foreign Ministry also slammed the American decision saying it “came as an unacceptable surprise”.
The Iraqi ministry said in a statement that it will follow up on the issue along with the matter of sanctions imposed against other Iraqi figures with US authorities.
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