LONDON: The US is trying to prevent Iran from selling crude oil to Hezbollah, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday.
Pompeo added that the US is working against the “terrorist organization” Hezbollah and is supporting Lebanon to be a country that is not subordinate to Iran.
Hezbollah, which is supported, armed and funded by Iran, is classified as a terrorist group by the United States and many other countries.
The group is now a dominant force in Lebanese politics and supports the government of Prime Minister Hassan Diab.
The Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah said on Tuesday that his group was in discussion with the government about Iran supplying refined oil products to Lebanon in exchange for Lebanese pounds to ease pressure on the plummeting currency. The pound has lost 80 percent of its value since October as the country’s economic crisis has escalated.
The secretary of state also urged the UN Security Council to extend an arms embargo on Iran and said the US and partner forces last month seized a vessel carrying arms to the Houthis in Yemen.
“The Security Council must extend the arms embargo on Iran to prevent further conflict in the region,” Pompeo told a State Department news conference.
“No serious person can possibly believe Iran will use any weapon it receives for peaceful ends.”
He added that Iran continues to supply the Houthis with weapons.
