The United States said Wednesday it was imposing sanctions on Hezbollah financiers in coordination with Qatar, a U.S. ally that has kept cordial relations with Iran.
The U.S. Treasury Department announced that it was taking action against seven people including Qatari nationals Ali al-Banai and Ali Lari, who it said have secretly sent tens of millions of dollars to the Iranian-backed Lebanese militant group.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Hezbollah uses "global networks of financiers and front companies to support its malign activity" and praised the cooperation of Qatar.
"This represents one of the most significant joint actions we have taken with a Gulf Cooperation Council partner to date and underscores our extensive bilateral cooperation on countering terrorism finance," Blinken said in a statement. Since 2017 the U.S. Treasury has targeted 90 Hezbollah-affiliated individuals and entities.
Nearby Bahrain also took action by freezing the bank accounts of al-Banai's nephew on the island and will prosecute three people, the Treasury Department said. Bahrain has tense relations with Iran but Qatar has comparatively friendly ties as it seeks to maintain dialogue around the region.
The confirmation from Doha came later on Wednesday. Seven individuals and one entity have been sanctioned, Doha said, not identifying them.
“This decision ... comes in light of the cooperation with the United States within the framework of Qatar’s fulfilment of its obligations and its unrelenting efforts in combating terrorism at the local, regional and international levels,” Qatar’s official news agency, QNA, said in a statement.
Qatar's relationship with the United States shot up in August as it became the transit point for more than half of the 100,000 people evacuated from Afghanistan as the Taliban took control.
