US hits Hezbollah with fresh sanctions, emphasizing ties to Iranian government

The United States on Thursday imposed new sanctions on Lebanon's Hezbollah, re-designating it for acting "for service to the Iranian regime under the command of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force." This move, according to a US official, emphasizes Hezbollah's role on behalf of the Iranian government. The sanctions also targeted 10 individuals accused of smuggling cash for Hezbollah, including a Turkish businessman managing a network of couriers and using exchange houses and front companies for money transfers linked to the Quds Force. Hezbollah, designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization in 1997, was founded by Iran's Revolutionary Guards in 1982.