US set to target Hezbollah with fresh sanctions, emphasizing ties to Iranian government

The United States will today issue fresh sanctions targeting Lebanon’s Hezbollah, including re-designating it under a terrorism authority, according to a statement seen by Reuters, in a move aimed at emphasizing its links to the Iranian government.

While Hezbollah is not being designated under any new authority, the Treasury Department is re-designating it as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist “for service to the Iranian regime under the command of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force,” according to the statement.

A US official said that the re-designation is intended to show that Hezbollah is acting on behalf of the Iranian government and update the public record to link the designation to Hezbollah’s actions on behalf of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force.

Hezbollah was first designated under the authority in 2001 and is also sanctioned by the US as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. The United States is also designating a group of 10 people that it accuses of smuggling cash for Hezbollah.

The US official says that the measures to be taken today are separate from further action the US plans to take against Iran, as Washington looks to resolve a war it began alongside Israel nearly six ​months ago.