Iran News: U.S. Lawmakers Introduce Bill to Designate IRGC-Linked Militias as Foreign Terrorist Organizations
Aerial view of Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C., USA.
Written by
Shahriar Kia
A new bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives seeks to intensify pressure on the Iranian regime’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) by designating 29 affiliated militias as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs). The bill, H.R. 2581 – Iranian Terror Prevention Act, was introduced by Representative Greg Steube on April 1, 2025.
The legislation obligates the U.S. Secretary of State to designate the named militias as FTOs under section 219(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act within 90 days of enactment. Among the groups listed are Badr Organization, Fatemiyoun Brigade, Zainabiyoun Brigade, Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba, Kata’ib al-Imam Ali, and Ansarallah (Houthis), in addition to several others active across Iraq, Syria, and Yemen.
In addition, the bill requires the Secretary of State to include any foreign entity or organization that is “an agent of, affiliated with, or owned or controlled by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.”
Ezzatollah Zarghami, the #Iranian regime's Minister of Tourism and Cultural Heritage, admitted on live state TV that he personally engaged in training and arming militias, visiting their underground tunnels. #GazaConflict pic.twitter.com/eUyRumqu5R
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) November 24, 2023
The legislation also mandates that the U.S. President, within 60 days of enactment, determine whether sanctions will be applied under Executive Order 13224 to each designated group. The American President must submit a report to Congress justifying any decisions not to apply such sanctions.
Furthermore, every 180 days, the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of Commerce, must report to Congress on any new entities that may qualify for designation under the act.
H.R. 2581 is currently under review by the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and the House Judiciary Committee.