Hizbullah representatives are currently in Tehran to complete discussions with the Iranian government on transferring gasoline and diesel from Iran to Lebanon. Hizbullah made it clear that these products “will soon arrive and be brought into Lebanon either by sea or by land.”
Hizbullah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah recently revealed that in light of the Lebanese government’s inability to resolve the country’s fuel crisis, Hizbullah “will go to Iran, negotiate with the Iranian government… and buy vessels full of petrol and fuel oil and bring them to Beirut port.” He continued with a challenge to Lebanon’s government: “Let the Lebanese state (dare to) prevent the delivery of petrol and fuel oil to the Lebanese people! … We can no longer tolerate these scenes of humiliation.”1
On June 25, 2021, Nasrallah noted that Hizbullah had completed all logistical arrangements for this purpose and was awaiting action from the Lebanese government.2 It was emphasized that the monetary payment to Iran for these products would be paid in Lebanese currency and not in dollars in order to facilitate the purchase.
The collapse of the Lebanese economy and paralysis of vital sectors of the country, including electricity and fuel utilities, will lead to the breaking of sanctions imposed on the import of petroleum products from Iran. Thus, Nasrallah will register another victory in the battle over the character and future of the Lebanese state.
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