Lebanon’s president tells US delegation his country is fighting money laundering and terror financing after Washington sanctioned Hezbollah members
BEIRUT: Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun assured visiting US officials that his country is actively combating money laundering and terrorism financing.
The meeting came days after Washington imposed sanctions on three Hezbollah members accused of laundering money for the Iran-backed militant group.
Aoun told the US delegation that Lebanon “strictly applies the measures adopted to prevent money laundering, smuggling, or its use in financing terrorism, and severely punishes financial crimes of all kinds.”
The US Treasury stated that Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have transferred over $1 billion to Hezbollah since January 2025, mostly through money exchange companies.
Deputy director for counter-terrorism John Hurley emphasised that Lebanon’s prosperity depends on Hezbollah being disarmed and cut off from Iranian funding.
Hurley later posted on social media that they discussed partnering to stop the flow of money from Iran to Hezbollah.
The US delegation’s visit was headed by senior director for counterterrorism Sebastian Gorka.
Meanwhile, Israel carried out new strikes in south Lebanon on Sunday, killing two people according to the health ministry.
Aoun called for “pressure on Israel to stop its ongoing attacks,” bringing the death toll from Israeli strikes since Saturday to five.
The trio sanctioned last week were accused of transferring tens of millions of dollars from Iran via cash-based money exchange businesses. – AFP
