Iraq removes Hezbollah and Houthis from terror asset-freeze list after ‘administrative error’

Iraq has confirmed the removal of Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Yemen’s Ansar Allah (the Houthis) from its list of entities whose assets were frozen, after determining that their earlier inclusion had been the result of an administrative error.

The amended decision was published on Tuesday in the Iraqi Gazette, which officially rescinded last week’s order by the Committee for Freezing Terrorist Funds to freeze all movable and immovable assets belonging to the two groups and classify them as organisations “linked to terrorism”.

The committee later clarified that the listing had been released “in error” before the completion of a routine review, and that it would be formally corrected in the official record.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani ordered an urgent investigation into how the error occurred, directing that those responsible be held to account. His office said the initial decision had contained “inaccurate” wording that did not reflect Iraq’s official position.

The Committee for Freezing Terrorist Funds operates under the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers and is responsible for freezing the assets of individuals or organisations designated by the United Nations under Chapter VII sanctions, as well as those listed by Iraqi authorities or foreign governments in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions.

The committee is chaired by the Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Iraq and includes representatives from the Ministries of Interior, Foreign Affairs, Justice, Trade, Communications, and Science and Technology, in addition to members of the Integrity Commission and counter-terrorism bodies.

READ: Iraqi PM orders urgent probe after Hezbollah and Houthis “mistakenly” added to asset-freeze list