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An Iraqi government official who received widespread acclaim from the Biden administration for her anti-corruption efforts has been placed on the U.S. terrorist watchlist and had her visa revoked this week, according to State Department officials. Taif Sami Mohammed, once celebrated by Secretary of State Antony Blinken as Iraq’s “Iron Woman” for her efforts to combat bribery and financial misconduct, is now believed to be outside Iraq and barred from entering the United States.
The dramatic reversal marks a sharp departure from 2022, when Mohammed received the State Department’s International Women of Courage Award alongside eleven other honorees. At that ceremony, hosted by then-Secretary of State Blinken and featuring remarks from then-first lady Jill Biden, the agency credited Mohammed with stopping bribes and uncovering schemes designed to inflate government payrolls and enrich corrupt officials.
Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs Dylan Johnson characterized the visa revocation as part of the Trump administration’s stricter approach to suspected terrorism threats. “Under President Trump and Secretary Rubio, suspected terrorists will never be allowed to remain in the United States,” Johnson said, contrasting the decision with what he described as the Biden State Department’s previous approach to foreign officials.
Republican lawmakers had previously criticized Mohammed, with Representatives Joe Wilson of South Carolina and Greg Steube of Florida calling her a “key enabler of terrorist funding in Iraq” and urging sanctions against her. The State Department has not disclosed when Mohammed was added to the terrorist watchlist or specified the intelligence supporting that designation.
Mohammed’s professional standing has deteriorated on multiple fronts. An Iraqi court summoned her in August 2025 and placed her on a judicial wanted list as part of a broader corruption investigation into former senior government officials, according to Iraqi news reports. She is believed to remain outside Iraq and has not been detained, and the court action does not establish wrongdoing.
Mohammed served as Iraq’s deputy finance minister and budget director when she received the 2022 award. She subsequently advanced to become Iraq’s finance minister, overseeing the federal budget, government spending and financial relations with Iraq’s Kurdistan region.
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