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Visa revoked after FBI list
The Trump administration revoked the U.S. visa of former Iraqi Finance Minister Taif Sami Mohammed Al Shakarchi after the FBI placed her on its Terror Watch List, the U.S. State Department said on Friday.
“Assistant Secretary Dylan Johnson confirmed in an official statement”
Assistant Secretary Dylan Johnson confirmed the reversal in an official statement, saying, "The US Department of State has revoked the visa of an Iraqi national who was presented an award by the Biden Administration".
Kurdistan24 reported that Taif Sami denied the accusations and rejected her placement on the FBI terror watch list, while the State Department did not immediately provide details about when she was placed on the list or the intelligence behind it.
The revocation marked a reversal of recognition she received in 2022, when she was presented the International Women of Courage Award by then-Secretary of State Antony Blinken and then-First Lady Jill Biden.
Kurdistan24 said Sami served as Iraq's Finance Minister from August 2022 until the change of government in 2026, handling the federal budget, government expenditures, and financial ties between Baghdad and the Kurdistan Region.
Biden-to-Trump contrast
Dylan Johnson framed the decision as a contrast between administrations, telling Fox News Digital, "While the Biden State Department shamefully celebrated and awarded foreigners who threaten our nation".
Johnson added, "the Trump State Department revokes their visas and ensures these individuals are removed from our country," as Taif Sami was described as no longer able to enter the United States.
Fox News reported that Republican lawmakers including Reps. Joe Wilson and Greg Steube had previously accused Sami of being a "key enabler of terrorist funding in Iraq" and urged sanctions.
Kurdistan24 said Sami’s office had previously issued a statement in June 2026 describing reports circulating about her as "completely false," urging organizations to verify information before publishing.
The State Department did not publicly explain whether the watchlist action was connected to allegations raised by lawmakers or to an Iraqi corruption investigation, according to Fox News.
What happens next
Kurdistan24 reported that Iraq’s judiciary issued a formal summons for Sami and placed her name on its list of wanted individuals as part of an investigation into corruption and the squandering of public funds in government contracts.
“placed her name on its list of wanted individuals”
The same report said a judicial summons does not constitute a conviction or by itself establish wrongdoing, and that Sami was believed to be outside Iraqi territory and had not been detained.
IraqiNews said the U.S. visa revocation precludes her from returning on that visa after U.S. authorities canceled it following the FBI terrorist blacklist placement.
IraqiNews also reported that an Iraqi court summoned the former minister earlier this month and that she was allegedly put on a judicial wanted list while authorities probed charges against high political and government officials.
Kurdistan24 said the State Department did not disclose the timing or intelligence behind the FBI watchlist determination, leaving the basis for the U.S. action unspecified in the accounts.