TEHRAN — Iran said Sunday it is willing to sell fuel
to Lebanon's government to help ease shortages, days after a first delivery of
Iranian fuel arranged by Hezbollah entered the country.
اضافة اعلان
"If the Lebanese government wants to
buy fuel from us
to resolve the problems faced by its population, we will supply it,"
foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said.
He told a news conference that the Islamic republic had
already sold fuel to a "Lebanese businessman", without naming
Hezbollah.
Tehran-backed Hezbollah promised in August to bring fuel
from Iran to alleviate the shortages sowing chaos in Lebanon, in defiance of US
sanctions.
On Thursday, dozens of tanker trucks carrying Iranian fuel
arranged by Hezbollah arrived in Lebanon and were due to fill the tanks of fuel
distribution firm owned by
Hezbollah, which has been under US sanctions.
Lebanon's new Prime Minister Najib Mikati had told CNN the
shipment "was not approved by the Lebanese government".
He was "saddened" by "the violation of
Lebanese sovereignty".
Hezbollah is a major political force in Lebanon and the only
group to have kept its arsenal of weapons following the end of the country's
1975–1990 civil war.
Lebanon is facing one of its worst-ever economic crises,
with more than three out of four Lebanese considered to be under the poverty
line.
Last year, it defaulted on its foreign debt and can no
longer afford to import key goods, including petrol and diesel.
Mains electricity are only available a handful of hours a
day, while the Lebanese are struggling to find petrol, bread and medicine.
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