Nasrallah: Khamenei Is Our Imam, Our Leader… No Place For Neutrality in Any War Against Iran

Hezbollah Leader Hassan Nasrallah (Reuters)
Hezbollah Leader Hassan Nasrallah (Reuters)
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Nasrallah: Khamenei Is Our Imam, Our Leader… No Place For Neutrality in Any War Against Iran

Hezbollah Leader Hassan Nasrallah (Reuters)
Hezbollah Leader Hassan Nasrallah (Reuters)

Hezbollah Leader Hassan Nasrallah warned that any war on Iran would ignite the entire region and lead to “the end of Israel.”

“This is our position as part of the axis of the resistance: we are not neutral and will not be,” he said.

In a speech in the southern suburbs of Beirut on the occasion of Ashura, Nasrallah described the US sanctions on Iran, Syria and the resistance movements in Palestine, Lebanon and Iraq as “unjust.”

“This supposed war will mark the end of Israel, the end of American hegemony and presence in our region,” he underlined.

Nasrallah went on to say: “From Lebanon, we tell the whole world that our imam, our leader, our master… is Grand Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Husseini Khamenei… and that the Islamic Republic of Iran is the heart of the axis, its main center, its strongest supporter…”

He denounced the “sanctions on Lebanese banks”, which he said had “nothing to do with Hezbollah," referring to the Jamal Trust Bank, adding that the Lebanese State and government should “defend the Lebanese and their institutions.”

Commenting on the recent Israeli attacks, Nasrallah said: “The Lebanese have foiled Israel’s attempt to change the rules of engagement that have been in place since 2006.”

He also valued “the united Lebanese position in rejecting the Israeli aggression on Lebanon.”

On the economic file, Nasrallah noted that the situation was not hopeless, but needed a responsible approach and concerted efforts to fight corruption.



US Imposes Sanctions on Iran and Houthi-related Targets

Houthi fighters take part in a parade during a mobilization campaign, in Sanaa, Yemen, 18 December 2024. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB
Houthi fighters take part in a parade during a mobilization campaign, in Sanaa, Yemen, 18 December 2024. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB
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US Imposes Sanctions on Iran and Houthi-related Targets

Houthi fighters take part in a parade during a mobilization campaign, in Sanaa, Yemen, 18 December 2024. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB
Houthi fighters take part in a parade during a mobilization campaign, in Sanaa, Yemen, 18 December 2024. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB

The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on Iran and Houthi-related entities, according to the Treasury Department website which listed a number of individuals, companies and vessels that had been targeted.

The sanctions target three vessels involved in the trade of Iranian petroleum and petrochemicals, which generate billions of dollars for Iran's leaders, the Treasury said, supporting its nuclear program, development of ballistic missiles and financing of proxies including Lebanon’s Hezbollah, Hamas in the Gaza Strip and the Houthis in Yemen.

“The United States is committed to targeting Iran’s key revenue streams that fund its destabilizing activities,” Bradley Smith, acting under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said in a release. Smith said Iran relies on a shadowy network of vessels, companies, and facilitators for those activities.

The vessels targeted were the Djibouti-flagged crude oil tanker MS ENOLA, owned by Journey Investment company, the San Marino-flagged MS ANGIA, and the Panama-flagged MS MELENIA. The last two tankers are managed and operated by Liberia- and Greece-registered Rose Shipping Limited, Treasury said.

The Treasury also sanctioned a dozen individuals, including the head of the Houthi-aligned Central Bank of Yemen branch in Sanaa, for their roles in trafficking arms, laundering money, and shipping illicit Iranian petroleum for the benefit of the Houthi militias.

It said that among the persons designated are key smuggling operatives, arms traffickers, and shipping and financial facilitators who have enabled the Houthis to acquire and transport an array of dual-use and weapons components, as well as generate revenue to support their destabilizing regional activities.

The sanctions block all property and interests in the United States of the designated parties and US persons and entities dealing with them could be exposed to sanctions or enforcement actions including fines.