Dr. Majid Rafizadeh: In first, Hezbollah confirms all financial support comes from Iran/AP: Hezbollah brushes off US sanctions, says money comes via Iran

Hezbollah brushes off US sanctions, says money comes via Iran
AFP/June 24/16/

Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah on Friday said his group would not be affected by fresh US sanctions because it receives its money directly from Iran, not via Lebanese banks. In a speech broadcast by the Shiite party’s Al-Manar station, Nasrallah brushed off assertions that Hezbollah would be hurt by US sanctions on Lebanese financial institutions that work with the group. “We do not have any business projects or investments via banks,” Nasrallah said, insisting the group “will not be affected.”

“We are open about the fact that Hezbollah’s budget, its income, its expenses, everything it eats and drinks, its weapons and rockets, are from the Islamic Republic of Iran,” he added. Iran was instrumental in Hezbollah’s inception three decades ago and has provided financial and military support to the group. In December, the US Congress voted to impose sanctions on banks that deal with Hezbollah, considered a “terrorist group” by the US. And last month, Lebanon’s central bank instructed the country’s banks and financial institutions to comply with the new measure against the Lebanese Shiite group.

Hezbollah has fiercely criticised the law and accused central bank governor Riad Salameh of “yielding” to Washington’s demands.”As long as Iran has money, we have money… Just as we receive the rockets that we use to threaten Israel, we are receiving our money. No law will prevent us from receiving it,” Nasrallah said. The Hezbollah chief also warned that some banks were applying the law too harshly and shutting down the accounts of Lebanese charities. Earlier this month, a bomb exploded outside the Beirut headquarters of BLOM BANK, one of the country’s largest, wounding one person. Several Lebanese newspapers kn own to be critical of Hezbollah said at the time the explosion was a “message” to banks complying with the US ruling. Washington has labelled Hezbollah a global terrorist group since 1995, accusing it of a long list of attacks including the bombing of the US Embassy and Marine barracks in Lebanon in 1983.

In first, Hezbollah confirms all financial support comes from Iran
By Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Special to Al Arabiya English Saturday, 25 June 2016
In a speech broadcast on Friday, Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Lebanese militant group Hezbollah scoffed at the recent US sanctions stating that these sanctions will not impact his group whatsoever due to the fact that Hezbollah receives full financial and arms support from the Islamic Republic of Iran.
He pointed out that “We do not have any business projects or investments via banks…” Nasrallah added that “We are open about the fact that Hezbollah’s budget, its income, its expenses, everything it eats and drinks, its weapons and rockets, come from the Islamic Republic of Iran,” and he emphasized that his group “will not be affected” by any fresh sanctions.
Speaking in a speech to mark 40 days after the death of a high level Hezbollah commander Mustafah Bedreddine in the Syrian capital Damascus, Nasrallah stated that: “As long as Iran has money, we have money… Just as we receive the rockets that we use to threaten Israel, we are receiving our money. No law will prevent us from receiving it…”
First public confirmation
It has been long known to political observers that the Islamic Republic played a key role in giving birth to the Lebanese Shiite militant group in 1982. For over three decades, Iran’s financial, military, intelligence, logistical, and advisory assistances to Hezbollah have been well known. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its elite force, the Quds force, transformed Hezbollah to be one of Iran’s most important and powerful regional and international proxies.
Nevertheless, what highlights the significance of Nasrallah’s speech is the fact that this is the first time in which he is announcing and publicly confirming that his group is receiving full monetary and arms support from the Iranian government.
The United States has long listed Hezbollah as a global terrorist group (since 1995) and accused it in several attacks such as the 1983 Beirut barracks bombing, that killed 241 US marines, the April 1983 US embassy bombing, and the 1984 US embassy annex bombing.
On Dec. 18, 2015, the US president signed the Hezbollah International Financing Prevention Act. The US Congress voted to impose fresh sanctions on Hezbollah by targeting those banks that are “knowingly facilitating a significant transaction or transactions for” Hezbollah and those financial institutions that “knowingly facilitating a significant transaction or transactions of a person identified on the List of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked persons.”
Nasrallah pointed out in his recent speech: “We totally reject this [United States] law until the Day of Judgment … Even if the law is applied, we as a party and an organizational and jihadist movement, will not be hurt or affected,” He added: “We have no money in Lebanese banks, neither in the past nor now … We don’t transfer our money through the Lebanese banking system.”
How this plays out in Washington
On the other hand, since Hezbollah is receiving full funding and arms support from Iran, according to Nasrallah, the US is now seemingly playing a critical role in assisting and facilitating the ways through which Hezbollah receives this significant aid from the Iranian government.
The Obama administration and Hassan Rowhani’s government were two key players in getting the nuclear agreement signed. When the nuclear terms started being implemented, the Obama administration began immediately transferring billions of dollars to Iran’s Central Bank. One of the payments included 1.7 billion dollars transferred, in January 2015.
Two of the major primary beneficiaries of these sanctions reliefs and flow of money are Hezbollah and the IRGC. Iran also immediately increased its military budget by $1.5 billion from $15.6 billion to $17.1 billion. Iran also began witnessing the flow of money due to the lifting of international sanctions.
Nasrallah’s speech also indicates that the US money transfer to Iran’s bank and the sanctions reliefs appear to have empowered and emboldened both the Iranian government and the Hezbollah leader.
Previously, when sanctions were imposed on Iran, Tehran had to reduce Hezbollah and its TV’s (Al-Manar channel) funding from the approximately $200 million a year. However, thanks to Washington, the money that Iran is receiving from the US or the market is again going on its way to Hezbollah, the major benefactor.
President Obama had given hope to world powers that engaging with Iran and the nuclear deal with Tehran would more likely force the Iranian government to moderate its behavior. Obama pointed out in an interview with NPR’s Steve Inskeep that as a result of the nuclear agreement Iran would start “different decisions that are less offensive to its neighbors; that it tones down the rhetoric in terms of its virulent opposition…”
Hezbollah’s confirmation of receiving money and arms from Iran is intriguing. Almost all signs indicate that the continuation of sanctions relief, and US transfer of billions of dollars to Iran militarily and financially assisting and ending up in the hands of Iran’s primary proxy, Hezbollah as well as Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, and the Quds force.