ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - The US Treasury Department on Friday announced sanctions targeting seven pro-Iran Iraqi militia commanders “responsible for planning, directing, and executing attacks” against US personnel and interests in the country.

“The individuals targeted in today’s action are leaders of some of Iraq’s most violent Iran-aligned militia organizations, including Kata’ib Hizbollah, Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada, Harakat al-Nujaba, and Asa’ib Ahl al-Haqq,” read a statement from the treasury department.

Many of the militias mentioned are part of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a network of Iran-aligned Iraqi Shiite militias linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which has launched hundreds of drones and missiles at US interests in Iraq and across the region.

The groups are also officially under the auspices of the Iraqi state via the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF).

The PMF was formed by Shiite paramilitary groups in 2014 following a call from Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani to mobilize against the Islamic State (ISIS). In 2016, the PMF was granted official status by the Iraqi government.

“These militias operate with near impunity, attacking U.S. personnel and innocent civilians across Iraq, siphoning Iraq’s wealth to finance their terrorist activities, and undermining Iraq’s sovereignty and democratic processes,” the treasury added.

Kurdish authorities have repeatedly called on Baghdad to rein in the militias, accusing the Iraqi government of not taking action.

The Kurdistan Region alone has been targeted in nearly 500 missile and drone attacks since the start of the war in the Middle East in late February, leaving at least 18 dead and dozens injured, with Erbil calling on Baghdad to compensate residents whose homes and property were damaged.

As a consequence of the sanctions, all property and interests belonging to the sanctioned militia leaders are blocked in the US and any entities that are 50 percent or more owned by them directly or indirectly are also blocked, the treasury said, prohibiting all transactions by US citizens with them.

“We will not allow Iraq’s terrorist militias, backed by Iran, to threaten American lives or interests,” said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.  “Those who enable these militias’ violence will be held accountable.”

Earlier this month, the US summoned Iraq’s ambassador to Washington to condemn the attacks by the pro-Iran militias, accusing "some elements associated with the Iraqi government" of providing operational cover to such factions and urging Baghdad to dismantle them.

The deputy secretary warned that the ongoing violence is negatively affecting relations between Washington and Baghdad.