According to a Wall Street Journal investigation, Iran has restored and expanded its financial lifeline to Hezbollah in Lebanon, channeling hundreds of millions of dollars over the past year through elaborate money-laundering routes centered in Dubai.
The report says that proceeds from Iranian oil sales are routed through an array of exchange houses, front companies, couriers, and aligned businessmen. These funds ultimately reach Lebanon through the Hawala method — a traditional system in which trusted individuals, not banks, serve as intermediaries for transferring money. The practice remains common across the Muslim world.
A senior official in the United Arab Emirates told the paper that the UAE is attempting to shut down such activity within its borders and is coordinating with global partners to curb the illicit networks.
Before the most recent war between Israel and Hezbollah, Iran had routinely funneled large cash shipments directly into Lebanon through the Beirut airport. That approach was curtailed as part of the November 2024 ceasefire terms, which were implemented exactly one year ago today.
Arab officials quoted in the report say Tehran has since adapted by sending more individual travelers into Lebanon, each carrying smaller sums or compact valuables that can be concealed easily. They also emphasized that Hezbollah continues to draw money from a variety of global revenue streams, including the drug trade and diamond smuggling.
The Journal also cites a senior US official who warned that Washington is increasingly troubled by the flow of Hezbollah-bound funds routed through Turkey and Iraq.
{Matzav.com}
