The United States imposed fresh sanctions on Hezbollah on Thursday, redesignating the Lebanese group over what Washington described as its actions on behalf of the Iranian government and targeting 10 people accused of moving cash for the group.
The U.S. Treasury Department redesignated Hezbollah “for service to the Iranian regime under the command of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force”.
A U.S. official told Reuters the move was intended to emphasise that Hezbollah acts on behalf of the Iranian government, particularly the Quds Force, one of the branches of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Hezbollah, both an armed group and political party in Lebanon, was designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization by Washington in 1997 and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist in 2001.
The latest designation allows for the imposition of asset freezes, financial transaction restrictions and can prohibit the provision of goods, services or material support to sanctioned targets.
Washington also sanctioned 10 individuals accused of smuggling large amounts of cash for Hezbollah.
The Treasury targeted a Turkish businessman it accused of managing a network of couriers moving money between countries in the region and Hezbollah’s base in Lebanon.
According to the Treasury, he used Türkiye-based exchange houses as fronts and provided companies and bank accounts for transfers linked to Iran's Quds Force.
Several alleged couriers involved in the network were also sanctioned.
A U.S. official told Reuters that Thursday’s Hezbollah measures were separate from new sanctions Washington has promised against Iran.
President Donald Trump warned on Wednesday of economic consequences for countries providing “any type of lifeline to Iran”, nearly six months after the United States and Israel began their war with Tehran.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said he will hold a press conference on Monday to announce what he described as “the toughest sanctions in history” against Iran.
Hezbollah has long maintained close military and political ties with Tehran. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards helped establish the group in 1982 during Lebanon’s civil war following Israel’s invasion of the country.
The group also operates an extensive network of social services, including schools and hospitals, and maintains significant support among Lebanon’s Shi’ite population.
Lebanon has meanwhile sought to reassert state authority and limit Iranian influence, with its government pushing for Hezbollah’s disarmament and insisting that decisions on war and peace belong to the state.
Lebanese officials have also warned Tehran against interfering in the country’s internal affairs, as Beirut seeks to distance itself from the regional rivalries that have shaped its politics for decades.
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