US Senator calls for terrorist designation of Polisario Front over growing ties with Iran

WASHINGTON — In a high-stakes hearing before the US Senate Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health Policy, Senator Ted Cruz renewed his forceful call for the US State Department to formally designate the Polisario Front as a foreign terrorist organization.

During the session, titled "The US Approach to Counterterrorism in Africa," held on Tuesday, April 21, Cruz presented intelligence suggesting that Iran is actively working to turn the Algeria-backed separatist group into a regional proxy—an "African version of the Houthis."

The "Houthi" Comparison

Senator Cruz’s intervention focused on the shifting dynamics in the Sahel and North Africa, where he argued that national borders are no longer a barrier to Iranian influence.

"In Western Sahara, Iran is actively working to transform the Polisario Front into something resembling the Houthis of West Africa," Cruz stated. "The Front is cooperating with Iranian terrorist groups, receiving drones from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and moving weapons and resources across the region, including for the benefit of jihadist groups."

Cruz highlighted a legislative push he has introduced that would mandate the terrorist designation if evidence confirms cooperation in five critical areas, which are military operations, weapons systems, drones, anti-aircraft weaponry and military intelligence.

The State Department’s Response

Monica Jacobsen, a senior official from the State Department’s Bureau of Counterterrorism, responded to the Senator’s concerns with cautious alignment. While stopping short of an immediate public confirmation of the terrorist designation, Jacobsen acknowledged the "fragility" of the region.

"The region where the Front operates is in close proximity to areas witnessing smuggling and armed activities in the Sahel, which creates a vulnerability that external parties, including Iran, may seek to exploit," Jacobsen said.

She further confirmed that the State Department and the US intelligence community are actively investigating alleged links between the Polisario, Hezbollah, and the IRGC.

Jacobsen also revealed that a classified briefing is currently being organized to provide Senators with more detailed intelligence on these potential ties.

The hearing comes on the heels of a 35-government summit in Budapest specifically focused on countering the IRGC's global reach. According to Jacobsen, the US remains "fully engaged" in confronting Iranian proxies, which now appear to be extending their influence into the African continent.

For Senator Cruz, the conclusion is clear: "If the Polisario Front is providing or receiving this type of capability in connection with Iranian terrorists, it clearly meets the criteria justifying its designation."