Hezbollah, Iranian oil smuggling network hit with sanctions

By FATIMA HUSSEIN
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. has imposed sanctions on a group of individuals, firms and vessels connected to an oil smuggling outfit said to benefit the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps. More than a dozen companies, six individuals and 11 vessels flagged from around the world are included in the sanctions package. The Treasury Department said Thursday they were part of a scheme that included blending and exporting sanctioned Iranian oil. The move comes after the State Department in September designated two Chinese companies, and Treasury’ penalized a network of companies based abroad for playing a critical role in shipping sanctioned Iranian oil.