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The United States announced new sanctions on financial operators accused of transferring tens of millions of dollars from Iran to Hezbollah, the State Department said in a statement Friday.
The individuals were found to have collaborated with businessmen and currency exchange offices to funnel significant sums of money from Iran to Hezbollah and conduct illicit financial operations.
The sanctions were imposed under Executive Order 13224, which targets terrorist organizations and individuals supporting them financially.
The State Department said the move aims to disrupt what it described as Iran’s secret financial network supporting Hezbollah.
“Iran continues to covertly finance Hezbollah, undermining Lebanon’s sovereignty,” the statement read. The U.S. reiterated its commitment to blocking the group’s funding channels and “supporting Lebanon through all available tools.”
The statement recalled that Hezbollah was designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) on October 8, 1997, and added to the Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) list on October 31, 2001.
In a separate statement, U.S. Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence John Hurley emphasized that the United States and Türkiye are working closely to combat money laundering and the financing of terrorism.
Following visits to Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Hurley met with officials in Türkiye, describing the country as a “very important NATO ally.”
He said the U.S. administration values Türkiye’s partnership in counterterrorism efforts and praised its role as a key regional actor.
Hurley stated that President Donald Trump supports the involvement of Türkiye and Gulf countries in Syria’s reconstruction. “President Trump considers cooperation under Türkiye’s leadership in rebuilding Syria as an important initiative,” he said.
He added that re-establishing Syria’s financial infrastructure is a priority for the U.S., stressing that “the best security is based on prosperity.”
Hurley noted that economic revitalization could help promote peace in Syria. “If we can encourage investment and restart the economy in Syria, we will create great hope for peace there,” he said.
Addressing criticism of U.S. sanctions on resource-rich countries like Iran, Venezuela, and Russia, Hurley said sanctions “are never directed against the people of a country, but against the actions of their leaders.”
He added that Washington applies similar measures against countries with limited natural resources, such as North Korea and Cuba, and stressed that the goal is to stop those “destabilizing the region and the world.”
Hurley highlighted the shared goal of increasing bilateral trade between the U.S. and Türkiye to $100 billion, saying it should be “mutually beneficial and balanced.”
He said President Trump’s background as a businessman gives him a strong understanding of economic relations, and the U.S. Treasury continues to prioritize cooperation with Türkiye despite domestic political challenges in Washington.
“The fact that I am here, even amid uncertainty in our own government, shows how much importance we attach to Türkiye and our NATO alliance,” Hurley said.
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