Title: Lebanese Shia Businessmen Purchased Iranian Fuel Shipments to Lebanon

Nournews, the semi-official Iranian news agency, reported on Thursday that the Iranian fuel shipments to Lebanon, intended to alleviate the fuel shortages crippling the country, were fully purchased by a group of Lebanese Shia businessmen. This report follows hours after the Iran-aligned Hezbollah group announced that an Iranian fuel shipment was set to sail to Lebanon on Thursday. Nournews, which is close to the Iranian Supreme National Security Council, stated, "Information received by Nournews confirmed that the Iranian fuel shipments mentioned by Mr. Hassan Nasrallah (Secretary-General of Hezbollah) today were purchased by a group of Lebanese Shia businessmen and are considered their property from the moment they were loaded in Iran." Opponents of Hezbollah in Lebanon warned of severe consequences from this move, with Sunni political leader and former Prime Minister Saad Hariri stating that this action risks imposing sanctions on a country whose economy has been collapsing for nearly two years.