Two more Hezbollah officials join US sanctions list as pressure builds

The United States has increased pressure on Iran by imposing sanctions on two Hezbollah officials, the US Treasury Department announced.

Nabil Qaouk and Hassan al-Baghdadi have both been designated "for being leaders or officials" of Hezbollah, which the US considers to be a terrorist organisation.

Qaouk is a member of the group’s executive council responsible for electing members of the Shura Council, which formulates policy and controls all aspects of the groups operations.

The US has in the past sanctioned several Iran-supported Hezbollah council members and earlier this month a US Congressman introduced a bill that would sanction all banking operations in areas deemed under the influence of Hezbollah.

On September 30, the Republican lawmaker Joe Wilson, who is known for his hardline foreign policy positions, said his bill dubbed the 'Hezbollah Money Laundering Prevention Act of 2020' aimed to "stop the Iranian backed terrorist organization Hezbollah’s money laundering activities across the world" targeting areas in south Lebanon and Latin America.

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The bill would give additional powers to the President to "make a determination that areas under the terrorist organization’s control," according to Rep. Wilson.

Wilson, who is a Member of the Middle East, North Africa, and International Terrorism Subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said this legislation would represent the "toughest sanctions ever proposed by Congress" against Hezbollah.

2By cutting off banks in areas under the terror group’s control from the international financial system, this bill will go a long way towards drying up the Iranian terror proxy’s resources to conduct murderous attacks against the US and our allies," he said in a statement at the time.

"This bill will make it much harder for Hezbollah to do Iran’s bidding in propping up the criminal Assad regime, the Houthis in Yemen, and continue to destabilise the Middle East."