US Tightens Sanctions against Hezbollah

The United States has again tightened pressure on Hezbollah by imposing new sanctions on a network accused of helping to fund the Lebanese armed group. Washington also highlighted Hezbollah’s close relationship with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), particularly the elite Quds Force.

The US Treasury Department said on Thursday (21/8) that the latest sanctions target ten people suspected of involvement in a money-transfer network for Hezbollah. Washington considers the network to be one of the group’s main channels for obtaining foreign currency while evading international sanctions.

In its latest policy, the US also updated its designation of Hezbollah as a terrorist organisation by asserting that the group operates in the interests of the Iranian regime under the command of the IRGC. The change specifically mentions the role of the Quds Force, the elite IRGC unit that has long been one of Iran’s main instruments for conducting operations abroad.

A US State Department official said the new designation clarifies Hezbollah’s position as an Iranian proxy, rather than an organisation operating independently as implied in the previous designation. “This confirms that Hezbollah operates with little or no regard for Lebanon’s sovereignty, the Lebanese people, or the Lebanese state,” the official said.

The US first designated Hezbollah as a foreign terrorist organisation in 1997. Four years later, Washington updated that status by adding it as a specially designated global terrorist group. The US government considers the relationship between Hezbollah and the IRGC to cover operational, financial and logistical aspects.

“This action continues the US designation that has for years repeatedly documented the operational, financial and logistical integration between Hezbollah and the IRGC-Quds Force,” a US State Department official said.

The US Treasury Department accused the sanctioned network of using couriers to carry cash on commercial flights connecting Lebanon, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Iran. According to Washington, the network can move up to hundreds of millions of dollars between regions.

“This network uses couriers travelling on commercial flights between Lebanon, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Iran to move up to hundreds of millions of dollars between regions,” the US Treasury Department said. The scheme is considered to allow Hezbollah to obtain foreign currency outside the formal financial system while avoiding US sanctions.