Hassan Nasrallah Says Sanctions Against Iran Are Ineffective

The leader of Hezbollah Lebanon stated that U.S. sanctions against Iran will have little impact and will not lead to a change of government in Iran. According to the Associated Press, Hassan Nasrallah said on Tuesday, August 14, that the Trump administration mistakenly believes that sanctions against the Islamic Republic will result in chaos and unrest in Iran. Speaking at the ceremony marking the twelfth anniversary of the end of the 34-day war between Israel and Lebanon, Nasrallah added: "Iran has faced sanctions since the victory of the Islamic Revolution in 1979. He (Donald Trump) has intensified these sanctions, but they have existed since 1979, and Iran has remained steadfast and will celebrate the fortieth anniversary of the revolution's victory." The United States withdrew from the nuclear agreement, known as the JCPOA, on May 8 and re-implemented sanctions against Iran last week. Washington claims the purpose of these sanctions is to pressure Iran to end its support for terrorism, its military activities in the Middle East, and its ballistic missile programs. On Tuesday, Nasrallah, addressing thousands in southern Beirut, said: "Let me tell you that I have accurate information that they (the U.S. government) are fantasizing about unrest in Iran and the fall of the regime and are planning accordingly. This is an illusion. This is a fantasy and has no relation to reality." Hezbollah Lebanon has received financial and military support from the Islamic Republic since its establishment in the early 1980s. A senior commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps recently stated that groups like Hezbollah Lebanon are the 'backbone' of the Islamic Republic in the region. Hezbollah forces are present in the Syrian civil war in support of Bashar al-Assad and also support the Houthis in Yemen. Meanwhile, the United States has demanded that Iran stop its support for groups it deems terrorist. In this regard, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo set 12 conditions on May 31 for reaching a new nuclear agreement with Iran, one of which was that Iran must cease its support for terrorist groups in the Middle East, including Hezbollah Lebanon, Hamas, and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. On August 1, Pompeo also supported President Trump's request for a meeting with Iranian leaders, stating that if Iran commits to making fundamental changes in its behavior and reduces its 'destructive behavior' in the region, Donald Trump would be willing to talk to them.