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US sanctions six people, seven firms under rules targeting Hezbollah

US Materials 2 February 2018 23:55 (UTC +04:00)
The Trump administration attacked Hezbollah’s financial network on Friday by imposing sanctions on six people and seven entities in an effort to turn back Iran’s influence in the Middle East and beyond
US sanctions six people, seven firms under rules targeting Hezbollah

The Trump administration attacked Hezbollah’s financial network on Friday by imposing sanctions on six people and seven entities in an effort to turn back Iran’s influence in the Middle East and beyond, Reuters reports.

“The administration is determined to expose and disrupt Hezbollah’s networks, including those across the Middle East and West Africa, used to fund their illicit operations,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in announcing the penalties under financial regulations targeting the Lebanon-based Hezbollah militant group.

The six sanctioned individuals included five Lebanese and one Iraqi, most of them linked to Al-Inmaa Engineering and Contracting, the Treasury Department said. The seven entities were firms based in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Lebanon and Ghana, the statement said.

Senior Trump administration officials said the sanctions were part of an aggressive move against Hezbollah to try to limit the influence of Iran, which gives the group about $700 million a year to help finance its activities.

The officials, briefing reporters at the White House on condition of anonymity, said the Trump administration was working to reverse what it considers a more lackadaisical approach toward Hezbollah by Democratic President Barack Obama after the 2015 Iran nuclear deal went into effect.

More such targeted sanctions are expected in the months ahead, they said.

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