Iran says ready to sell Lebanon fuel if Beirut asks

TEHRAN — Iran said on 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 Hizbollah entered the country.

“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 Hizbollah.

Tehran-backed Hizbollah 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 Hizbollah arrived in Lebanon and were due to fill the tanks of fuel distribution firm owned by Hizbollah, 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”.

Hizbollah 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.