Hezbollah: Iranian Fuel Shipments to Lebanon A Political Achievement against US Injustice
TERHAN (Tasnim) – The fact that Iranian ships transport fuel for Lebanon is a political, social and moral achievement in the face of the US oppression and its crimes against humanity, a senior Hezbollah official said.
Addressing the Arab Forum, United for Lebanon Resisting Siege, Monopoly, and Corruption on Friday, Hezbollah Deputy Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem said the developments in the country are in stark contrast to the US-Israeli project, al-Ahed news website reported.
He said the Americans were surprised to see that the fuel-laden ships - belonging to Iran - have broken the siege of Lebanon and provided the Lebanese with the vital product.
Hezbollah has confronted the Israeli occupiers and would be able to counter the US siege in appropriate ways, Qassem emphasized.
Qassem also called for cooperation and solidarity among Arab countries, particularly among Lebanon’s neighbors, saying Beirut welcomes any unconditional support.
The first ship carrying Iranian fuel reportedly entered Syria’s territorial waters on September 2 to unload its cargo, which will be then transferred to Lebanon via tankers. Informed sources said that two other Iranian ships will also deliver their cargo to Lebanon through the same mechanism.
Fuel shortages in Lebanon have forced businesses and government offices to close, threatening to cause blackouts at hospitals and halt transportation and other vital sectors in the Arab country.
The plan to buy Iranian fuel, announced by Hezbollah Secretary General Sayed Hassan Nasrallah in August, is seen as a watershed in the US sanctions, which have severely affected Lebanon and Iran alike.
The Lebanese bloc said the insistence of Nasrallah on helping the Lebanese people forced the Americans to rush through measures to maintain a say in the country’s affairs.
In a phone call with Gebran Bassil, the former Lebanese minister of foreign affairs and leader of the Free Patriotic Movement, Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said Tehran is ready to sell more fuel to the Lebanese government and businessmen if need be.
Amirabdollahian said Iran sets no limitation to the expansion of mutual relations with Lebanon and is ready to sell more fuel production to “new customers.”
