Third Iranian oil tanker en route to Lebanon
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – On Sunday, the ship tracking website Tanker Trackers announced the movement of a third Iranian tanker loaded with fuel towards Lebanon.
On Sunday, Tanker Trackers tweeted that the third tanker carrying Iranian fuel, designated for delivering fuel to Hezbollah in Lebanon, is loaded and on the way to Lebanon.
On Thursday, the first convoy of tankers loaded with Iranian fuel arrived in Lebanon via the land border from Syria after the Iranian tanker unloaded its cargo at Baniyas port on the Syrian coast.
Secretary-General of Hezbollah Hassan Nasrallah spoke of an agreement with Iran to send three fuel tankers last August.
In early September, Nasrallah said that a second tanker carrying diesel would arrive this month at Baniyas port, adding that the third tanker began loading gasoline, and it was agreed on a fourth ship carrying diesel.
On September 13, the United States imposed sanctions against individuals and entities accused of supporting the Lebanese Hezbollah and the Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards.
The imposed sanctions included entities and individuals in Lebanon, Iran, the UAE, Turkey, Kuwait, China and Taiwan, on charges of financing the two groups classified as terrorist.
On Sunday, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman stressed Iran’s commitment to helping friendly countries, and indicated that the shipment of Iranian fuel was a Lebanese demand, according to what IRNA reported.
On Friday, Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati said in a TV interview with CNN that the entry of Iranian fuel shipments into the country constitutes a violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty.
Mikati said “I am saddened by the violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty.”
He denied that the Lebanese government had agreed to enter the fuel shipments, and added in this regard: “The process took place in isolation from the Lebanese government, so I do not think that the Lebanese government will be subject to any sanctions.”
On Sunday, the regional spokeswoman for the US State Department Geraldine Griffiths said that the US sanctions imposed on Hezbollah came after it brought Iranian oil into Lebanon.
In an interview with Sawt Beirut International, Griffiths said that the US administration imposed its sanctions on Hezbollah to prevent it from exploiting Lebanese materials and securing its funding, and stressed its commitment to tightening the screws on it.
She pointed out that America is seeking to find sustainable solutions to solve the fuel issue, but importing fuels from a country subject to sanctions is not in Lebanon’s interest, and importing oil from Iran puts Lebanon at risk and is not in the interest of the Lebanese people,” she said.
Griffiths urged the Lebanese authorities to be ready to take their rules, and said that America is in contact with their partners in Lebanon, to provide support to help the Lebanese authorities carry out their duties.
“The US administration will not hesitate to hold the party accountable for its destabilizing activities and at the expense of the Lebanese people,” she added.
For months, Lebanon has been suffering from a fuel shortage, which closed some stations, while others are witnessing overcrowding and even quarrels among those attempting to get fuel.
The fuel crisis is one of the most prominent repercussions of the economic crisis that has affected the country since late 2019, as it caused a financial collapse, and the lack of sufficient foreign currency exchange to import fuel from abroad.