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The rift between Algiers and Washington is deepening, despite Abdelmadjid Tebboune's silence. Algeria has yet to officially respond to Republican Senator Ted Cruz's move to label the Polisario Front as a terrorist organization. However, Abdelaziz Rahabi, a former minister and diplomat known for his views on Western Sahara, has broken this silence in an article.
Rahabi, who is closely aligned with decision-making circles, especially the military, often serves as a mouthpiece for the Algerian authorities on sensitive matters. He has stepped in during diplomatic tensions with Spain and France, often without any official statements from the government.
Rahabi argues that the actions of Ted Cruz and Congressman Joe Wilson are part of a Republican strategy to link the Polisario with Iran's demonized image, effectively branding it as a terrorist group. This would cast Algeria as a state sponsor of terrorism, potentially subjecting it to American sanctions.
The Algerian diplomat claims that "the promoters of these initiatives (Wilson and Cruz, ed.) themselves respond to pressures from various lobbies, in the purest tradition of American transactional diplomacy, exacerbated under the current president."
Trump Wants to Pressure Algeria
According to the former Minister of Communication under Abdelaziz Bouteflika, these legislative moves are designed to "weaken Algeria, which is committed to the right to self-determination like the UN, and to force the Polisario to capitulate, in a context marked by cautious optimism following talks in Madrid and Washington, initiated by the United States."
"These initiatives, coordinated in their content and timing, can only be seen as pressure tactics by the American administration, seeking a quick agreement on Western Sahara."
Algeria was pressured by the Trump administration to join discussions on Western Sahara, organized last February at the U.S. Embassy in Madrid and later in Washington. Algiers has remained notably silent about its participation.
Rahabi's central argument is that the classification of terrorist organizations in the United States "does not fall under the jurisdiction of the two Chambers, but rather the State Department." This claim is partly accurate, as senators and representatives play a significant role through legislative initiatives and exerting political pressure on the executive branch.
For example, Ted Cruz previously introduced a bill in 2017 to designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization, a move later adopted by the American administration. In November 2025, President Donald Trump declared that certain branches of the movement "in Lebanon, Jordan, and Egypt support campaigns of violence and destabilization harmful to their regions, American citizens, or American interests." In March, the Sudanese branch was added to this list.
Moreover, the Algerian ambassador to the United States, Sabri Boukadoum, attempted in July 2025 to persuade Democratic Representative Jimmy Panetta to withdraw his support for a similar bill targeting the Polisario. This lobbying effort highlights the influence of senators and representatives in the American political system.
The lobbying is intensifying. Rahabi's statement coincides with a letter from the "Global Monitoring Center" addressed to the chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, seeking to clear the Polisario of any connections with Iran and its affiliates in the Arab region. This organization had already taken a similar approach following Joe Wilson's initiative.
