Videos from some of the attacks in Baghdad show smoke rising from a facility near the airport in April, and a fire on the roof of the embassy in March.<\/p>\n
The State Department on Thursday announced it sanctioned Iraq\u2019s Deputy Minister of Oil Ali Maarij al-Bahadly, arguing he had abused his position to divert Iraqi oil in support of the Iranian regime. Iranian oil was mixed with Iraqi oil and sold for Iran\u2019s benefit, spokesman Tommy Pigott said. Oil sector companies that support militias were also hit with sanctions.<\/p>\n
Iraq\u2019s embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n
The move is the latest effort by the Trump administration to manage the growing presence of Iran inside Iraq, where Tehran-linked militia groups that would like to see U.S. troops expelled from the country have gained a foothold in the government.<\/p>\n
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A fire burns outside the grounds of the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad on March 17, following what officials said was a drone and rocket attack. (Ahmad Al-Rubaye \/ AFP via Getty Images file)<\/p>\n
(Ahmad Al-Rubaye)<\/p>\n
Newly elected Prime Minister-designate Ali al-Zaidi has been under pressure to take concrete action, including from President Donald Trump,<\/a> who last week in a social media post wished him \u201csuccess as he works to form a new Government free from terrorism that could deliver a brighter future for Iraq.\u201d<\/p>\n In April, the U.S. summoned Iraqi Ambassador Nizar Khirullah to Washington, where Deputy Secretary of State Landau condemned the hundreds of attacks in Iraqi territory, including what the U.S. called an ambush of U.S. diplomats on April 8, the day the ceasefire began between the U.S. and Iran.<\/p>\n Landau emphasized the Iraqi government\u2019s failure to prevent the attacks and said the U.S. \u201cexpects the Iraqi government to immediately take all measures to dismantle the Iran-aligned militia groups in Iraq,\u201d according to a readout of the meeting<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is a very blurry line right now between the Iraqi state and these militias,\u201d the senior state department official said Tuesday, arguing that certain elements of the Iraqi state have continued to provide political, financial and operational cover to the groups. The official added that the prime minister understands the U.S. is looking for \u201caction, not words.\u201d<\/p>\n Concrete actions for the White House would be expelling militias, cutting off their support and denying payments, the official said.<\/p>\n One critical group where Iran-aligned militias have gained influence is in the Iraqi state security service, the Popular Mobilization Force. The PMF started in 2014 as an umbrella group of several Shiite militias working together, with support from Iran, to fight the Islamic State in Iraq. But the PMF has now been formally integrated into Iraq\u2019s national security forces.<\/p>\n The U.S. does not underestimate \u201cthe severity of the challenge or what it would take to disentangle these relationships,\u201d the senior official said. \u201cIt could start with a clear and unambiguous statement of policy that the terrorist militias are not part of the Iraqi state.\u201d<\/p>\n