UANI Applauds Justice Department Indictment of Iranian Regime-backed Kataib Hezbollah Commander

Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi Plotted Attacks Against Americans

(New York, NY)—United Againt Nuclear Iran (UANI) CEO Ambassador Mark D. Wallace released the following statement after the U.S. Justice Department filed criminal charges against Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi on May 15 for directing attacks against American citizens and interests.

“UANI applauds the Justice Department for the arrest of Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, a member of the Iran regime-backed Kataib Hezbollah, a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization. Al-Saadi’s arrest underscores the enduring threat that the Islamic Republic’s terror network poses to U.S. national security, including through bomb plots, assassinations, and acts of transnational repression.

“The Justice Department’s announcement confirmed that Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya (HAYI) is a component of Kataib Hezbollah. HAYI has carried out attacks targeting synagogues and Jewish institutions around the world. It is a reminder that the Islamic Republic of Iran continues to be the leading state-sponsor of antisemitism and terror globally.

“President Trump’s Operation Epic Fury has degraded the Islamic Republic’s terrorism apparatus—senior officers in its Intelligence Ministry, IRGC’s Intelligence Organization, and the IRGC’s Quds Force have all been killed. But Al-Saadi’s arrest reveals the growing reach of their Kataib Hezbollah proxy. Historically, Kataib Hezbollah had concentrated its aggression in Iraq and throughout the Middle East. But today it is spearheading terror operations in Europe and the United States. This requires an urgent international response.

“The U.S. government should use its leverage to ensure the Iraqi government’s new Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi uproots Kataib Hezbollah’s ability to threaten the United States and Europe. If not, the U.S. government and our allies and partners should take decisive military action to destroy the ability of Kataib Hezbollah to operate in Iraq as well as holding its IRGC handlers accountable on Iranian soil. Additionally, all U.S. allies and partners should now designate Kataib Hezbollah as a terrorist organization. To date, the United Kingdom and European Union have still not done so.”