US revokes visa of Iraq’s former finance chief

The United States has pulled the visa of Iraq’s former finance minister Taif Sami Mohammed Al Shakarchi after she was added to the FBI’s terrorism watchlist, an unprecedented turn in Washington’s treatment of an official it once praised. The State Department announced on Friday that Mohammed’s visa had been canceled following her inclusion on the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Terrorist Screening Database.

The decision, which does not reveal the information that led to her inclusion on the watchlist or whether she faces any criminal charge in the United States, reflects the Trump administration’s policy of barring individuals deemed potential terrorism risks from entering or remaining in the country. This stands in stark contrast to the Biden administration’s view of Mohammed, who was honored with the International Women of Courage Award in 2022 for her efforts against corruption.

At that time, US officials dubbed her the "Iron Woman" for her aggressive stance against public finance misuse. Mohammed served as Iraq’s finance minister from 2022 to July of this year, during which Iraq intensified investigations into alleged misuse of public funds involving former officials and political figures. Reports from Iraq indicated that Mohammed had been summoned by a court as part of a corruption probe and placed on a judicial wanted list, though she was reportedly outside the country and had not been detained.

The US visa revocation adds another layer of scrutiny to Mohammed's case, but many questions remain unanswered, such as why the FBI placed her on the terrorism watchlist and how it connects to the ongoing investigation in Iraq.