Rabat – US Congressman Pat Harrigan has added his name to support a congressional bill urging the Trump administration to designate Polisario as a terrorist organization.
Harrigan added his name as a cosponsor of the bill on February 13, becoming the seventh congressman to support the congressional appeal.
In addition to Harrigan, Jimmy Panetta, Mario Diaz Balart, Jefferson Shreve, Randy Fine, and Lance Gooden have all added their names as cosponsors for the bill.
Congressman Joe Wilson officially introduced the bill in June last year, which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on the Judiciary for deliberation.
The bill recalled Polisario’s documented history of operational ties with Iranian proxy Hezbollah.
“Iran’s support has reportedly advanced from training to the provision of lethal hardware,” the bill said, recalling images disseminated via Polisario’s social media showing Iranian-type munitions used by the separatist group.
The bill covers other arguments to convince the US Congress to designate the Polisario Front as a terrorist group, including Polisario’s involvement in violent attacks against Moroccan forces, as well as its role in destabilizing the Maghreb and Sahel regions.
The congressional bill also shed light on reports expressing concerns over Polisario’s Iran ties,
One of the reports is by the Washington Post, which highlighted Iranian support for the Polisario Front.
“The Washington Post reported in April 2025 that Iran has trained Polisario Front fighters and provided them with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), deepening concerns about the group’s growing capabilities and external sponsorship,” says the bill.
The Washington Post also quoted sources who confirmed that Hezbollah was training the separatist group to advance its interests in the Sahel.
“Over the years, Iran has fostered a wide array of proxy groups to advance its interests,” the report said.
It also recalled that a regional official and a third European official had indicated that Iran had been training fighters from the Algeria-based separatist group that is now detained by Syria’s new security forces.
Earlier this month, US Senator Ted Cruz slammed State Department officials for repeatedly avoiding any reference to the Polisario despite its documented links to the terrorist activities destabilizing the region.
He made his remarks during a Senate hearing on counterterror efforts, rebuking US officials for what he described as a deliberate refusal to acknowledge the Polisario and its links to terrorism.
“Iran is trying to turn the Polisario Front into the Houthis for West Africa, a proxy force capable of waging war to threaten regional stability and pressure US partners wherever Iran wants leverage,” the senator said.
For Cruz, Polisario should be designated as a terrorist group.
“I’ve drafted a bill to do so if there is no change in their behavior,” Cruz said.
