Countering Iran and its Proxies through Enhanced Counterterrorist Financing in Iraq

The Department of State’s Bureau of Counterterrorism (CT) announces this funding opportunity to strengthen Iraq’s anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) regime through targeted training and technical assistance. The program aims to disrupt the financial networks of Iran, its proxy groups, and other U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs) that exploit Iraq’s financial system. The program will focus on building Iraq’s capabilities to detect, investigate, and prosecute terrorist financing in line with Financial Action Task Force (FATF) standards. The program will work exclusively with applicable U.S.-aligned Iraqi financial authorities, law enforcement agencies, and judicial institutions. The program will prioritize Iraqi ownership, institutionalize best practices, and establish a clear path to full operational self-sufficiency. Key activities will include: • Providing training and technical assistance to Iraqi authorities to enhance their AML/CFT capabilities • Supporting the development of Iraqi laws and regulations to combat terrorist financing • Enhancing collaboration among Iraqi national authorities, regional, and international bodies to disrupt terrorist financing networks • Improving the ability of Iraqi national authorities to collect, analyze, and share financial intelligence to identify and disrupt terrorist financing activity • Strengthening Iraqi public and private sector compliance with AML/CFT obligations Some of the desired outcomes of the program include: • Iraqi authorities demonstrating measurable progress in enacting and implementing relevant CFT laws and regulations • Iraqi authorities demonstrating improved and sustainable interagency coordination to investigate and prosecute terrorist financing cases • Iraqi financial institutions demonstrating improved understanding of terrorist financing risks and implementation of enhanced CFT controls • Increased quality and quantity of suspicious transaction reports filed with national authorities and U.S.-aligned international authorities