ISTANBUL: The United States seeks to take advantage of a “moment” in Lebanon in which it can cut Iranian funding to Hezbollah and press the group to disarm, the US Treasury Department’s top sanctions official said.
In a late Friday interview, John Hurley, the undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said Iran has managed to funnel about $1 billion to Hezbollah this year despite a raft of Western sanctions that have battered its economy.
The US has adopted a “maximum pressure” campaign on Tehran meant to curb its uranium enrichment and regional influence, including in Lebanon where Iran-backed Hezbollah is also weakened after Israel shattered its military power in a 2023-24 war.
Late last week Washington sanctioned two individuals accused using money exchanges to help fund Hezbollah, which is deemed a terrorist group by several Western governments and Gulf states.
“There’s a moment in Lebanon now. If we could get Hezbollah to disarm, the Lebanese people could get their country back,” Hurley said.
