US, Gulf states slap terror sanctions on Hizballah leader, top officials

The United States and Gulf states have imposed terror sanctions on Lebanon's Hizballah, including on the group's leader Hassan Nasrallah and other top officials.

The US Treasury Department made the announcement in a statement on Wednesday, a day after it slapped sanctions on the head of Iran's central bank over accusations of funding Hizballah.

"The TFTC again demonstrated its great value to international security by disrupting Iran and Hizballah’s destabilising influence in the region," the statement said.

"By targeting Hizballah's Shura Council, our nations collectively rejected the false distinction between a so-called 'Political' and Hizballah's global terrorist plotting," it added.

The sanctions on Hizballah's leadership were coordinated by a US-Gulf partnership called the Terrorist Financing and Targeting Center [TFTC], which was formed last May.

Gulf states Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman are members of the TFTC along with the US.

Most of the Hizballah officials were already under heavy US sanctions.

The administration of US President Donald Trump has been targeting the Lebanese group recently to increase pressure on its patron, Iran.

Wednesday's move was a rare joint action between Qatar and a Saudi-led bloc boycotting the gas-rich emirate.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt severed ties with Qatar last June over accusations of supporting extremism and being too close to rival Iran, charges Doha has denied.

Qatar says the Saudi-led countries are seeking regime change in Doha, while the 11-month spat has remained in a stalemate.