US Senator Ted Cruz told a Senate hearing on counterterrorism in North Africa and the Sahel that Iran is working to transform the Polisario Front into a regional proxy force, warning that the alleged cooperation between the separatist group and Iran‑backed networks represents a growing security threat to the US and its partners.
“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,” Cruz said, urging the US this critical blind spot.
The Polisario had taken drones from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and transferred weapons across the region to groups engaged in terrorist attacks, he said.
Cruz argued that these actions justified a harsher US approach, saying: “I believe they should be designated as a terrorist group, and I’ve drafted a bill to do so if there is no change in their behavior.”
The US recognizes Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara where Algeria has nurtured the false hope of a separate state for its Polisario proxies.
In June 2025, US Congressmen Joe Wilson (R-SC) and Jimmy Panetta (D-CA) introduced the Polisario Front Terrorist Designation Act (H.R. 4119), directing the State Department to assess whether the separatist movement meets criteria for Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) status.
Morocco severed ties with Iran in 2018 after accusing Tehran and Hezbollah of arming and training Polisario fighters.
The Senate hearing also revived longstanding congressional concerns about Algeria’s continued acquisition of Russian weapons.
In past correspondence highlighted during the session, lawmakers warned that Algerian purchases of advanced Russian systems could trigger sanctions under US law. Legislators cited the CAATSA sanctions framework, noting that Algeria has been among the world’s major buyers of Russian military equipment.
Officials at the hearing stressed that arms transactions with Russia remain under close review.
The session underscored Washington’s growing concern over overlapping regional threats on top of which the operational links between the Polisario and Iran‑backed groups, rising instability across the Sahel, and geopolitical implications of Algeria’s defense partnerships.
