U.S. sanctions Maarij, escalating pressure over next Iraqi Cabinet

The U.S. government has designated Iraqi Deputy Oil Minister Ali Maarij under its Iran sanctions regime, in a move that appears to signal increasingly aggressive American efforts to influence the formation of the next government.

The Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced the action on May 7, alleging that Maarij had used his position to help blend Iranian oil with Iraqi exports in order to evade U.S. sanctions — a scheme that has already prompted U.S. action against the Iraqi businessman Salim Ahmed Said and his company VS Oil Terminal FZE.