The US Treasury Department’s top sanctions official said the United States is seeking to exploit the “moment” in Lebanon during which it can cut off Iranian funding for Hezbollah and pressure the group to disarm. In an interview late Friday, John Hurley, Under Secretary of State for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, said Iran has managed to transfer about $1 billion to Hezbollah this year despite a raft of Western sanctions that have hurt its economy.
The United States has adopted a “maximum pressure” campaign on Tehran aimed at limiting its uranium enrichment and regional influence, including in Lebanon where Iran-backed Hezbollah has also been weakened after Israel smashed its military might in the 2023-2024 war.
Late last week, Washington imposed sanctions on two people accused of using exchange offices to help finance Hezbollah, which many Western governments and Gulf states consider a terrorist group. “There is a moment in Lebanon now,” Hurley said. “If we can convince Hezbollah to disarm, the Lebanese people will be able to take back their country.”
“The key to this is expelling Iranian influence and control, which starts with all the money they pump into Hezbollah,” he told Reuters in Istanbul, as part of a tour of Turkey, Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates and Israel aimed at increasing pressure on Iran.
The Iranian economy is affected by UN sanctions
Tehran has relied on closer ties with China, Russia and countries in the region including the United Arab Emirates since September, when talks to limit its nuclear activity and disputed missile program collapsed, leading to the re-imposition of UN sanctions.
Western powers accuse Iran of secretly developing nuclear weapons capabilities. Tehran, whose economy now faces the risk of hyperinflation and severe recession, says its nuclear program is dedicated entirely to civilian energy purposes.
US ally Israel says Hezbollah is trying to rebuild its capabilities, and on Thursday it launched intense air strikes in southern Lebanon despite a ceasefire agreement agreed a year ago.
The Lebanese government has committed to disarming all non-state groups, including Hezbollah, which was founded by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard in 1982, led the Iranian-backed “axis of resistance,” and opened fire on Israel, which declared its solidarity with the Palestinians when the war in Gaza began in 2023.
While the group, which is also a political force in Beirut, did not prevent Lebanese forces from confiscating its hideouts in the south of the country, it refused to disarm completely.
Hurley, on his first trip to the Middle East since taking office during President Donald Trump’s administration, discussed the case against Iran in meetings with government officials, bankers and private sector executives.
“Even with everything Iran has been through, even with the economy not in good shape, they are still pumping a lot of money to their terrorist proxies,” he said.
(Tags for translation) US Sanctions
