ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Kataib Hezbollah, an Iran-backed Shiite militia, on Saturday warned Iraqi politicians against engaging with US Special Envoy to Iraq Mark Savaya, stating that those who do will be branded as American “lackeys and tools” by the public.

Abu Ali al-Askari, the group’s spokesperson, argued in a statement that “it is more appropriate” for Iraqi figures and politicians, especially religious figures, “to avoid communicating with this traitor to Iraq [Savaya]. Otherwise, the people will treat you as lackeys and tools in the hands of the criminal [US President Donald] Trump.”

Savaya’s appointment has sparked widespread controversy among supporters of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) and Iran-backed groups, due to his continued call for the disarmament of non-state armed factions and curbing of Iranian influence on Iraq.

Akram al-Kaabi, head of the Harakat al-Nujaba threatened the envoy earlier this month, saying: “If you do not silence him, the Islamic resistance will stuff a stone in his mouth.”

The US has designated both Harakat al-Nujaba and Kataib Hezbollah as Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) among several other Iran-backed Shiite factions. Washington has repeatedly warned against the presence of pro-Iran militias in Iraq, cautioning the risk it poses to Iraqi sovereignty.

The envoy on Thursday stated that “no nation can succeed while armed groups compete with the state and undermine its authority. This division has weakened Iraq’s global standing, suffocated its economy, and limited its ability to protect its national interests."

Kataib Hezbollah added that the forces will not confront the US diplomat, as the Iraqi youth “are sufficient” and are “capable of sending you back humiliated to where there is degradation and the trade of alcohol and drugs.”

Savaya is the owner of a chain of marijuana dispensaries in southeast Michigan called Leaf and Bud. He also was a key supporter and donor to Trump’s presidential campaign, who commended Savaya and offered him a role as the US Special Envoy to Iraq.

“Mark was a key player in my campaign in Michigan, where he, and others, helped secure a record vote with Muslim Americans,” the US President wrote as he announced Savaya’s appointment in October.

The envoy’s past as a cannabis industry figure has added to the hostility of religious Shiite armed and political factions who accuse him of advancing US interests at the expense of Iraq’s religious values.

“You will not achieve your malicious goals in the Iraq of holy shrines, for that is a true promise, and that is ‘a promise that will not be broken’,” Askari asserted.