Former Finance Minister Tayf Sami Denies US Terror List Inclusion, Leaving Iraq

Iraq's former Minister of Finance, Tayf Sami Mohammed, on Friday unequivocally denied circulating reports regarding her inclusion on any American terrorism watch list or her classification as a terrorist. In an official statement, Sami affirmed that she had "monitored statements and allegations concerning me, including information about my travel outside Iraq, and the listing of my name on U.S. terrorism watch lists, along with the implications of being prevented from entering the United States." The former minister emphasized that "what has been circulated in this regard is incorrect," affirming that she is "currently in Iraq and has not left the country." She also denied being barred from entering Washington during her previous tenure to attend International Monetary Fund and World Bank meetings before her retirement, and confirmed she has "no intention of traveling to Washington now." Sami added that she had "not been summoned by any court, nor received any judicial notification in this regard," contradicting information disseminated through some media outlets and social media platforms. She reiterated her firm denial of being placed on any U.S. terrorism watch list, noting that "what is being said about me being prevented from entering the United States amounts to nothing more than political statements representing the positions of some Congress members." She confirmed that "what is published in this context is not based on any official information or documents issued by a competent authority." Sami concluded her statement by asserting that she "reserves all my legal rights against any party or individual proven to have intentionally published false or misleading information about me, and I will take appropriate legal action in accordance with the law."