Iraq’s caretaker government announced on Thursday that it is withdrawing its recent decision that listed Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthis (Ansarallah) as terrorist groups, saying the move was made “by mistake.”
The Central Bank’s Committee for Freezing Terrorist Funds explained that Resolution No. 61 of 2025 — published in the Official Gazette on 17 November — was based on a request from Malaysia and on UN Security Council Resolution 1373, which deals with freezing assets of people and groups linked to ISIS and al-Qaeda.
According to the committee, the published list accidentally included groups that have no connection to either ISIS or al-Qaeda. It said the document was released before it was fully reviewed, and the Official Gazette will be corrected to remove those unrelated names.
A follow-up letter from the Central Bank governor’s office — signed by Deputy Governor Ammar Hamad Khalaf — confirmed the mistake. The letter, dated 4 December 2025, asked for the removal of paragraphs 18 and 19, which referred to Hezbollah and the Houthis. It also clarified that the committee never approved freezing their assets, and their inclusion happened before final edits were made.
