A Biden-Era Award Comes Back Into Focus
Taif Sami Mohammed, an Iraqi finance official once celebrated by the Biden administration, is now at the center of a very different State Department story. In 2022, while serving as Iraq’s Deputy Minister of Finance and Director General of the Budget Department, Mohammed received the U.S. Secretary of State’s International Women of Courage Award. The State Department praised her as the “Iron Woman,” pointing to her years in Iraq’s Ministry of Finance and her claimed work against corruption. Fast forward, and the Trump State Department has revoked her visa after she was reportedly added to a terror watchlist. That is quite a swing, even by Washington standards, where yesterday’s hero can become today’s national security headache before the ink is dry on the press release.
🇺🇸🇮🇶 From Iraq’s “Iron Woman” to the U.S. terror watchlist in a 4-year span…
Taif Sami Mohammed was praised by Antony Blinken in 2022 and given a State Department award for fighting corruption in Iraq.
4 years later, her U.S. visa is gone and she’s reportedly on the terrorist… pic.twitter.com/hxYQC6cpdp
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) August 28, 2026
What The State Department Said In 2022
Back in 2022, the State Department described Mohammed as a longtime official who began as a budget analyst in 1985 and worked her way up through Iraq’s finance ministry. The department said she became Deputy Finance Minister in 2019 while also serving as Director General of the Budget Department. It credited her with being a “front-line leader against corrupt practices” and said she had helped prevent and deter budget corruption in Iraq. Former Secretary of State Antony Blinken also praised her at the time, saying she earned the nickname “Iron Woman” because of her “persistent efforts to end corruption.” He said she had stopped bribes, uncovered payroll inflation schemes, and redirected resources back to programs serving the Iraqi people. That was the glowing version, complete with the usual State Department ceremony language and a shiny award.
The Trump State Department Reverses Course
According to Fox News, Mohammed is believed to be outside Iraq, on the U.S. terrorist watchlist, and unable to enter the United States. Fox reported that a State Department official said Mohammed’s visa was revoked this week, calling it a dramatic reversal for someone who had received one of the Biden administration’s high-profile women’s awards in 2022. Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs Dylan Johnson told Fox News Digital, “While the Biden State Department shamefully celebrated and awarded foreigners who threaten our nation, the Trump State Department revokes their visas and ensures these individuals are removed from our country.” Johnson also said, “Under President Trump and Secretary Rubio, suspected terrorists will never be allowed to remain in the United States.” That is a far cry from the photo-op treatment she received under Biden’s team.
Republicans Had Already Raised The Alarm
In 2025, Rep. Greg Steube of Florida co-signed a letter with Rep. Joe Wilson of South Carolina urging Secretary of State Marco Rubio to pursue sanctions against Iraqi officials and institutions over alleged Iranian influence. Mohammed was among those named in the letter. The lawmakers wrote that the United States “should impose sanctions on Iraqi finance minister Taif Sami Mohammed,” calling her “a key enabler of terrorist funding in Iraq” while noting that she had received the International Women of Courage Award from the Biden administration in 2022. The letter also referred to several people it described as money-laundering associates. These are serious claims, and they show this concern did not appear out of thin air overnight. It had already reached members of Congress before the reported visa action.
Johnson Points To The FBI Watchlist
Johnson also posted on X that in 2022, “Anthony Blinken and Jill Biden celebrated Iraqi national Taif Sami Mohammed Al Shakarchi” and personally presented her with an award for advancing “gender equity.” He then said Mohammed was added to the FBI’s terror watchlist, and that the Trump State Department took swift action to revoke her visa and make sure she is no longer in the United States. His message was blunt: under President Trump and Secretary Rubio, suspected terrorists will not be allowed to reside in the country. The contrast is the story here. The Biden team rolled out the red carpet for an international award recipient, while the Trump State Department is now treating the same person as a security concern. Washington loves its ceremonies, but national security has a way of cutting through the confetti.
In 2022, Anthony Blinken and Jill Biden celebrated Iraqi national Taif Sami Mohammed Al Shakarchi – personally presenting her with an award for advancing "gender equity."
Since, Ms. Mohammed was added to the FBI's terror watchlist.
As a result, the Trump @StateDept took swift… pic.twitter.com/lMK5K87910
— Dylan Johnson (@ASDylanJohnson) August 28, 2026
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