US Republican Senator Ted Cruz renewed calls for closer scrutiny of the Polisario Front, raising concerns over the growing ties between the Algeria-backed separatist movement and Iran during a Senate hearing on counterterrorism in Africa.
Speaking at a US Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on April 21, Cruz warned that cooperation between Iran and the Polisario poses broader security risks beyond North Africa, urging the US government to address the issue as part of a wider counterterrorism challenge.
Cruz said Iran seeks to turn the Polisario into a proxy force in West Africa, drawing parallels with Tehran’s support for the Houthi movement in Yemen.
The Polisario collaborates with Iranian-affiliated groups, receives drones from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and facilitates the movement of weapons and resources across the region, Ted Cruz told the Senate.
The Texas senator had introduced legislation that would require the US administration to designate the Polisario as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO).
Testifying at the hearing, Monica Jacobsen, a senior official at the US State Department’s Bureau of Counterterrorism, said Washington was aware of reports suggesting vulnerabilities in the area where the Polisario operates. She noted the region’s proximity to trafficking routes and armed activity in the Sahel.
“That environment creates opportunities that external actors, including Iran, could seek to exploit,” Jacobsen said, adding that the State Department and US intelligence agencies were monitoring the situation closely.
Cruz’s remarks come as support grows in Congress for legislation titled the Polisario Front Terrorist Designation Act of 2026, introduced on March 13 by Cruz along with Senators Tom Cotton and Rick Scott. On March 23, Republican Senator David McCormick formally endorsed the bill, adding momentum to the initiative.
If enacted, the legislation could trigger a review process that may lead to an FTO designation, allowing the United States to impose sanctions, restrict travel and freeze assets linked to the group.